When We Were Young
by Sharadethia
Summary: This is the story of the childhood of the Doctor. It will be a long series of installments starting in the Academy years through the Time War. Currently M for violence and child abuse. Currently on year six.
1. Chapter 1

_When We Were Young- _

_Year 4- Chapter 1- Exposé_

Hustling bodies clothed in red and orange carefully danced around a small board with papers tacked over it. Some of the papers began to fall as students ranging in age from nine to nineteen traced across the paper with their fingers, looking for their names. A young boy hung back. His dark blonde hair was sticking up in all directions, making him look quite disorganised. He glanced between the people milling in the crowd, trying to find an opening. A much taller tenth year pushed his way past the boy as he tried to get a closer look. After a moment, he found a spot to slip into. He heard moans, cheers, sobs, and shouts as people found their names on the list. Dread was settling in his stomach as he looked at the people around him. If he didn't make a higher spot in the class, his father would be furious. And he was terrified of his father's retribution. Finally, the boy made his way to the board. He looked for his name from the alphabetical lists that covered every student in the Academy. After a moment of quick scanning, he found his name.

_Theta-Sigma Epsilon. Room 163. Rank Number: 5_

He nearly jumped with joy. He was fifth in the entire Academy after his testing scores had come back. He smiled triumphantly and edged his way back out. He started walking towards the east side of the campus, back to what would have been his room, until he remembered the end to the year before. His roommate, at the time another third year, had decided to take a new roommate, leaving Theta on his own. Of course, the Academy dealt with it and gave him a new room, but he was beginning to worry about his new roommate. He walked to the southern wing of the Academy which housed several of the dormitories, preparing himself for anything.

_Maybe I'll just be partnered with someone normal. Maybe 600__th__ in the rankings… And he won't care if I stay up late studying…._ Theta hoped. As he neared the building, he saw the pile of personal belongings that had been shipped over for the new year of school. He pawed through until he found his brown pack and wrestled it out from between the two much larger bags it was wedged between. He looked at the numbers on the door. It was in the one hundreds, so that meant it was on the first floor. He walked up the stairs, beginning to panic anew. As much as he loved new things, new experiences, he wasn't sure how to react to being partnered with someone entirely new for a whole year. _If he's really bad, I only have to deal with it for a year…._ he tried to reason as he reached the entrance to the first floor. He walked down the hall, watching as the numbers inched down from ninety nine to sixty three. He stood in front of the door, bag slung across his shoulder, holding his breath. He raised a hand to the knock on the door. As soon as he made a gentle rasping noise, he heard a loud banging noise from the other side of the door, the sound of something falling.

"In the name of Rassalon!" a boy yelled. Theta cowered back slightly. After a moment, the door opened to reveal a much taller, black haired boy. He glared at Theta with cold, blue eyes before sighing. "You're the new roommate?" Theta nodded mutely. "Fantastic…I always wanted to be paired with a fourth year," he muttered sarcastically. Theta looked around the room from over the older boy's shoulder. It was chaotic. Papers were scattered across the two beds. Clothes, both clean and dirty were thrown across the room. Books were lying open on their bindings in the middle of the floor. Theta was mildly appalled at the treatment of the books.

"Theta-Sigma," he said, sticking a hand out. The black haired boy rolled his eyes and stepped back without shaking his hand.

"Koschei Mekail," he said. "You get the bed on the left; the one closest to the door is mine…" He glanced around and groaned to himself. "If something's in your way, just…. kick it somewhere else…" Theta inched into the room as Koschei shut the door.

"So… What year are you?" Theta asked, trying to make conversation.

"I'm a fifth year," he said, picking up some papers from the bed he had designated to Theta. "And if you see anything addressed to me, don't open it." Theta nodded quickly, wondering what made Koschei say that. At least there was an expectation of privacy.

"And your rank?" he asked. Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Nosy are we? Fantastic…" He shook his head. "Third." Theta's eyes widened. "And you?"

"Fifth." Koschei nodded after a moment.

"So, you're not stupid. That's good. I guess that means you'll have Borusa, too." Theta stared at him blankly. "The top ten students at Prydon have an extra class with Borusa to hone their skills in a subject of their choice. So really, you don't have much spare time to do anything during the week. It sucks, but Borusa's class is always interesting, so it kind of balances out." Koschei looked around the room one more time and then at Theta's pack. "That's all you've got?"

"Yeah?" Theta said, making it into a question by accident.

"Please tell me that you have a space-enhancer in there?" Theta nodded. "Okay, so still not an idiot…" He was interrupted by a knocking on the door. Koschei walked over and opened it. In the doorway stood a tall, brown haired girl with curly hair. She was dressed in an orange, high-necked shirt with a brown skirt and she wore her brown hair pulled back tightly into a knot at the back of her head. She looked at Koschei and gave an evil smirk.

"You got a fourth year!" she exclaimed, laughingly.

"Eh. He's fifth ranked. Better than yours. What is she? Six thousandth?" The girl looked at the ceiling.

"Pretty close, but that's beside the point." She strode in and looked Theta over. "Military, huh?" she asked. He blinked. "Your father's military, right?" He nodded.

"Yeah, but…. how did you… know?" Theta had to admit that he was thoroughly overwhelmed at everything that was going on. All he ever wanted was a normal roommate who wouldn't pester him, and he had had that not but a year ago. By this point, though, he knew that there was no way that would ever happen. At least not for another year. Room transfers were unheard of, and rumour said it was not allowed.

"You've got your hair cut like that." She motioned to his extremely short hair and noted, "You're standing like someone's driving pins into you. Not to mention you just give off that feel of strict childhood." She was teasing him and testing him at the same time, but Theta hardly recognised it.

"Uh yeah?"

"I'm Ushas," she said, sticking a hand out. Theta shook it and looked her up and down, as she had done to him. Her eyes lit up, as though she got an idea, and Theta had to admit that he was a little nervous. "You said he was fifth?" she asked, smile brightening. Koschei looked up from the papers he had picked up off of the floor and nodded. "That means you get Borusa with the rest of us!" she said, getting quickly excited.

"I already told him that," Koschei informed, raising his eyebrows in a silent challenge to her.

"What do you want to study?" she asked, ignoring Koschei's high and mighty tone. Theta sat down on the bed and shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Ushas swept the clothes off of Koschei's bed and sat down on it. She looked at the older boy teasingly.

"You obviously didn't tell him a lot," she retorted. He stuck his tongue out at her. "So, you know we've got Borusa. He's a specialized teacher for the top ten of the Academy, which now includes you. Anyway, we're supposed to choose a field and do research into it. Koschei's studying politics. I'm working with chemistry." Theta nodded vaguely. "So, I mean, you don't have to think of it right now, but… you might want to come up with something eventually. It's actually pretty fun." Theta vaguely remembered Koschei mentioning the choice of class, but there was so much to take in that he could hardly process all of it.

"I think you broke him," Koschei commented from the corner, shoving some papers under a small table as though it would actually make the room look cleaner. Theta looked at Koschei and then at Ushas.

"Yeah, well…" She stood up. "I've got to give my new roommate the whole 'don't touch my chemicals or you'll get blown up' speech before she… blows up." And she left without so much as another word. Koschei chuckled and walked over to the door. He shut it and grinned at the bewildered look on Theta's face.

"Yeah, she's a little…." He couldn't quite find the word he was looking for. The ones that did pop into his head weren't exactly words he would call Ushas in front of a stranger, anyhow.

"Outgoing?"

"Obnoxiously so." Koschei agreed with a smile. "But she's good," he said, more seriously. "Better than some of the Deca…" Theta looked at him curiously, furrowing his eyebrows and knitting his hands together in front of him.

" The Deca?"

"Top ten students. It's what we call each other. One of Ushas' brothers organised it a couple years ago. He graduated and you took his spot. Well, kind of. He was sixth." An evil smile came over Koschei's face. "I wonder who you replaced!" he said, gleefully. "I hope it's Mortimus." Theta didn't like the idea of replacing an older student on the top ten.

"Um… Who?" Trying to pretend that he understood even part of what exactly was going on was useless, and Theta knew that.

"Mortimus is an ass," Koschei supplied with a bit of disgust sneaking into his features. "And hopefully you can avoid him as much as possible." He walked over to the table in the corner of the room and began stacking some books that were tattered and old. Theta walked over to help him. "The only person who can really keep him in check is Rallon. If one day you wake up, and I'm dead, it was Mortimus." Theta gave a small nod, unsure of whether or not he was joking. "Well, as long as you're not busy, let's go see if we can hunt down anyone else you should know." Koschei walked away from Theta and to the doorway, but Theta didn't move.

"I think I'll just stay here and… set my stuff up." Koschei gave a small laugh. He opened the door again and propped it open with his foot.

"I looked at your stuff. You don't have much. And I know it's a little overwhelming, but come on. It'll be fun," he offered, still holding the door. For some reason, Theta doubted it.

"If you say so," Theta conceded and grudgingly walked out of the room.

_Next Chapter: The Deca_


	2. Chapter 2

_Year Four- Chapter Two- The Deca_

The first thing Theta heard from behind the door in front of him was a loud noise that seemed eerily similar to thunder. Koschei rolled his eyes as though he had heard it a million times before , and, when he opened the door to the room they had been waiting outside of, smoke came rolling out into the hall.

"Damn it, Drax," a voice complained from further in the room. Koschei stepped to the side of the doorframe as several children, all around Koschei's age, walked out of the room, groaning and complaining.

"What have I told you about using mustard gas!" a blonde haired girl complained.

"That wasn't mustard gas! If it was, you all would be a lot worse off," the last boy out argued. He had black hair that stuck straight up from his head in a way that was surely not natural, and his olive skin was covered in soot. He had a grin on his face that seemed to stretch from cheek to cheek. "It was just a combination of phosgene and cyclosarin. Nothing that would kill you or anything…" A tall boy with dark blonde hair and an Irish accent quickly demanded,

"And why were you using those?" The soot-covered boy shrugged.

"I was testing if the gas could work to power my new electrical system." Theta looked at the crowd surrounding him. Another black haired boy looked at Theta suddenly, as though he had just appeared, and sneered. There was something off-putting about the way the boy's eyes saw straight through Theta.

"Fresh meat. A third year?" he demanded. He was the perfect picture of distain. Koschei looked at the tall Irish boy before managing a cool, collected response.

"What's your ranking, Mortimus?" Theta quickly widened his eyes. The idea of out-ranking anyone of status seemed like a very dangerous idea. Especially since someone in the group of kids seemed to have access to mustard gas.

"Sixth, dearest Koschei," he drawled. "And I'm fully aware that Theta-Sigma Epsilon outranked me. I was planning to talk to him soon enough. I'm not blind when it comes to the charts and statistics." By all accounts, the young boy looked dangerous, like a tiger ready to pounce. He was standing straight, straighter than even military-raised Theta did. His eyes glinted with malice and his lazy smile promised retribution.

"I'm sorry…" Theta offered.

"Snivelling, too," Mortimus said, turning back to look at the last boy out of the room. "But at least he's smarter than poor Drax here…" Drax didn't look phased. He just laughed as though it had been intended to be a joke and looked back at the smoke still coming out of the room. He waved a hand about the smoke as though it would help dissipate it.

"Mortimus, shut up," the tallest boy demanded.

"Rallon, stay out of this. I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I said, shut up." Theta watched the power-play carefully. After a moment, Mortimus ducked his head to the side and made some snide comment under his breath. Rallon sighed and gave a smile to Theta.

"Hello, Theta-Sigma."

"You can just call me Theta," he murmured. Rallon nodded with a comforting grin. "I'm… Koschei's roommate." He tried to find something to say that was actually of some importance, but didn't succeed. He still felt the contempt emanating from Mortimus and felt very insecure.

"Maybe you can keep Koschei in line." Ushas was walking down the hallway, a gas-mask in her hand. "Drax, I can smell your mess two floors up. Take this for the next time you're messing with my expertise. This is my extra." She didn't sound angry, simply amused. Drax took it gratefully and looked into the room.

"I think we're safe to go back in…" There was a general grumbling from the group as they went back in. Immediately, Rallon and the blonde girl set to work opening the windows in the room. Theta noticed the hierarchy in the group almost the instant everyone took their seats in the room, and it was obvious that they also knew their places. The desk on the right was claimed by the blonde girl and Rallon sat on top of it. On the farther bed, two boys sat down. One was reading a book while the other had a collection of papers in his hand and a pen. Drax was standing by the table, grabbing some wires and a pair of scissors. Mortimus sprawled out on the other bed. The desk on the right was claimed by Koschei. Another black-haired boy sat on the floor, back against the wall. Ushas walked over to the desk Koschei was in and promptly pushed him off of the chair. She sat in it and then motioned to the floor.

"That was for letting my rats free." Koschei smirked devilishly and gave a small chuckle.

"It was worth it." He looked to Theta who was awkwardly standing in the haze by the door. "Close the door and sit down. We don't bite. Except for Ushas and Mortimus, but usually we can control them." The blonde haired girl stood up and glared at Koschei.

"You're a horrible roommate." Koschei looked horribly indignant. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Excuse me?" he demanded, only half-joking.

"He doesn't really know any of us!" She walked away from the desk to stand beside Theta. "Hi, I'm Millennia Nichol. The handsome fifth year sitting on the desk is Rallon Aulay." Rallon smiled and waved. Theta nodded to him, fighting the urge to walk away from the group, go down to the Academy registry centre, and demand a new roommate. It was bad enough that he was apparently encroaching on an already established group of friends, but they all seemed to be mildly dangerous in their own way. "I'm assuming you've met Koschei and Ushas." They both nodded. "The idiot who blows everything up is Drax, Drax Lochan." The boy, at the sound of his name, turned away from his wires and grinned brightly.

"I've already regenerated three times…" he said proudly, touching the wires together accidently and, as the shock jolted through him, he winced. Millennia sighed.

"Someone _please_ take those away from him. " No one moved. Millennia then moved on, shaking her head in motherly dismay, and gestured to the two boys on the opposite sides of the far bed. "Those two are Vansell and Jelpax. Vansell's into book. Jelpax wants to be a professor." Vansell didn't even look up. Jelpax smiled amicably.

"It's nice to meet you." Theta nodded back.

"Next we have Magnus. Magnus Cyrus." The black-haired boy nodded to him stoically. "He doesn't talk much unless it's important. Or involves war." Magnus gave small smile to her and quickly analysed Theta. From head to foot, he catalogued everything about the younger boy with machine-like precision.

"Your father's name is Epsilon. The Numeral?" Theta nodded awkwardly, moving his gaze to the ground. He didn't like talking about his father. "Good soldier."

"Uh… Yeah… Thanks." The whole point of the Gallifreyan military was lost on young Theta. At the idea of war and battles, he quickly applied an alternative solution to actual fighting, much to his father's shame and dismay.

"I know you've already met Mortimus." Her tone conveyed that she obviously, like most of the Deca it appeared, did not like him.

"Mortimus Lothair," the boy said, sounding proud of himself. He wore a small, taunting smirk plastered on his face. Theta was quickly coming to understand Koschei's original statement about the boy. Millennia smiled to Theta.

"Not surprisingly, you're the youngest one here. Well, actually. If we were to rate everyone here on their maturity, Drax would probably be the youngest." Drax nodded in complete agreement and went back to his work with the wires. "Also, I'd avoid walking around the Northern Dormitory complex tonight…" Theta was confused enough at the seemingly random edition to her statement and startled Ushas jumped up from her chair, her bombastic energy quickly spilling over.

"No, no, no, no. And more no." She walked over to Theta and slung an arm over his shoulder. "He won't have any reason to be on the ground tonight," she said, smiling maniacally. Theta glanced to Koschei, who was busy playing with some strings coming loose from the cheap carpeting.

"Uh… Why?" Theta asked cautiously. Once again, he was considering walking down to the administration and fixing this monstrosity of a mess.

"Because! You're joining us tonight! We're going to have great fun. I've got a whole new batch for you guys. It's been a really hot summer, and the heat reacted badly with the newest batch of propanol I injected them with… so… They're pretty much all dead." Theta was growing more positive by the minute that, yes in fact, this whole group was composed of the most insane students from the Academy. Not for the first time in the last five minutes, Theta wished he could just have roomed with someone ordinary and been ordinary himself. But his primary cause of distress was as to what Ushas had killed, and what it had to do with the not being on the ground at night.

"Don't worry, we're not talking about people, _petit enfant_," Mortimus said, staring at the ceiling. Theta managed a small glare in Mortimus' general direction. He may not have spoken French, but he knew when he was being insulted.

"Watch yourself, Mortimus," Koschei threatened from his side of the room. "If anyone's the child here, it's you with your petty games." Mortimus showed no response to hearing him. Theta slowly felt the tension recede in the room when Millennia and Ushas sat back down. Theta walked to the left and sat next to Koschei.  
>"So what're you going to study?" Rallon asked.<p>

"Uh… For Borusa?" Theta paused. "Temporal physics sounds interesting…" he admitted. Rallon nodded.

"Interesting. I'm studying the engineering of time." Theta raised his eyebrows, suddenly feeling that his ambitious goal was not so ambitious after all. "Oh, it's nothing. I really just drive Borusa's TARDIS about. And crash it occasionally." There was laughter around the room.

"You've crashed?" Ushas demanded. "I've never even seen you lose control of that thing once. Your treat it like your baby…" Rallon raised his eyebrows, challenging her.

"She is my baby."

"She's not even yours," Mortimus reminded. There was a collective sigh through the entire room.  
>"Shut up, Mortimus," Rallon said, shaking his head as though he was a disappointed parent. Theta looked to Ushas and then, hoping to break the silence, found a question to ask.<p>

"So… What are we doing on the roof tonight?" Ushas' smile lit up and she brought her hands together with a small clap.

"Some of my precious rats have passed away. One of the Deca's traditions is to toss them off the roof at people we don 't like." Theta blinked. Everyone around the room seemed to be excited about this terribly odd ritual. _They're crazy, _Theta decided. "And don't worry," she encouraged. "We haven't gotten into trouble yet."

_N__ext chapter: Deluge_

_AN: I'm going to try to update WWWY every week; maybe bi-weekly if I get inspiration. (But, please, do not count on that.)__And a note about the languages- All of the Gallifreyan families speak a personal language, (for example- Mortimus' is French, Koschei's is Russian, etc) and if I butcher any of the languages in the future, please send me a PM and I'll fix it._


	3. Chapter 3

_Year Four- Chapter Three- Deluge_

The suns were setting slowly, drifting down past the horizon, leaving streaks of light pink and orange all over the darkening sky. Theta thought it really was rather nice, but he was the only one who was even pay attention to it. All ten of the Deca students were hiding out on the roof, which was not only explicitly off-limits to students, but was known to be a hide-out for the more seedy part of the student population. Koschei and Ushas were fighting over something quietly, Rallon and Millennia were chatting by the edge of the roof, and Mortimus had decided it was time to bother someone new.

"Ah,_ enfant_, how do you like the view?" Theta shrugged, suddenly looking at his feet more than anything else. "I am most curious about how I've never heard of you before. You came out of nowhere and take fifth in the entire Academy. It's quite an accomplishment." For some reason, his comment sounded less like a compliment and more like a thinly veiled threat.

"Luck…" Theta knew that it was more than that. He'd always been smart. He liked to learn and try new things. He was smarter than his father, than anyone he knew. That was, until he met the Deca.

"Quite." Mortimus eyed Theta for a moment and then looked to Koschei. "You know, he's the son of the Guardian." Theta blinked. "You've never heard of the Guardian? He's one of the most controversial politicians Gallifrey has ever seen. He likes progress. And Southerners. And liberties for citizens that most do not agree with." Theta blinked again. "How have you never heard of him?"

"My father hates politics…" Theta explained. Mortimus chuckled.

"Ignorance must run in the family." Koschei walked over and slung an arm over Mortimus' shoulder. Mortimus' eyes grew wide, and he pulled away as though he had been burnt. "Don't touch me!" he shouted. Koschei gave a taunting smile.

"Sorry. I forgot. Did I mention that being nice might be contagious?" Mortimus stalked away saying something under his breath that sounded violent. He was rubbing his shoulder where Koschei had touched him, as though he could brush dirt off of himself from the contact.

"What did he say?" Theta asked.

"Trust me; you don't want to know if you're going to try to sleep tonight." Koschei looked over to a brown box that Ushas had by her feet. "Ready to have some fun?" he asked as everyone began to gather around the box. Theta inched forward as the others started pulling out brown masses of fur. Koschei pulled one out and handed it to Theta. He took a hold of it slowly. The cold fur pricked into his hand, and the skin seemed to slosh around the cold corpse. Theta shuddered in revulsion.

"It's a little gross, but you get used to it." A bright light flashed next to them, and Theta whipped around to see Drax with a lighter holding a burning rat.

"Oh, Rassalon! Toss it off right now, or the whole roof will stink!" Koschei demanded. Drax frowned and then threw it off the roof over his shoulder. Theta watched in horror as it fell to the paved entrance to their dormitory.

"What if that had hit someone?" he asked as the flaming carcass began to smoulder and smoke on the ground. Drax paused.

"No one was around," he offered with a mischievous smile. Everyone knew that he hadn't even glanced down to check. Ushas walked over to Drax and handed him a new rat, but not before grabbing the lighter from the boy. "Ushas…" he moaned. "That was my last one!"

"Not until we're through." She turned to Theta. "So, I'll give you the honours of throwing the first one." Drax looked sheepish as she gave a joking glare in his general direction. She inched Theta over to the edge and smiled encouragingly. Theta held out the hand that contained the rat, closed his eyes, and turned his head as he let go of the cold corpse. A few moments later, he heard a squelching noise as soon as it hit the concrete.

"Oh, my turn!" Jelpax called, spotting a student coming out of the building. As everyone dropped to the ground, Theta stood watching. Koschei noticed that he didn't get the hint and pulled Theta to the ground beside him.

"You don't want to be caught, so I'd recommend you stay down when everyone else is going." Theta nodded as a shriek resounded from below. It seemed the rat had landed near, or perhaps even on, the target. Jelpax was snickered.

"Was that the girl from our Theories of Consistency class last year?" Vansell asked. Jelpax nodded and grabbed another rat from the box.

"How do you not get in trouble?" Theta demanded to Koschei, his voice coming out as nothing more than a whisper.

"Most of the students are either afraid of us or think we're gods. We're pretty safe until a teacher comes. Then I just talk to them…" He was cut off by Millennia shushing him.

"A teacher's coming out!" she whispered, a wide smile stretched across her face. Koschei inched to the edge so he could get a look at which teacher.

"She's just the basic calculus teacher," Koschei said dismissively as she walked past the entrance to the dorm and behind the building. The Deca jumped up quickly and began tossing more rats down, even if there were no students around. As the quantity in the box slowly began to decrease, Theta took his chance to throw another one. He hefted it slightly, still hating the slushiness of it all, before chucking it as far as he could. Koschei and Ushas were smiling madly and nodded their approval.

"Nice arm." Ushas noted, picking up the last rat and handing it to Rallon, who promptly chucked it to the ground. "Alright, Deca dismissed." She took the box under her arm and went to the door that led back into the building. Theta looked to Koschei.

"That's it? Who picks up the rats?" Koschei shrugged.

"Probably custodial staff." He walked inside and led the way back to the first floor, back to their room. Theta opened the door and walked in, still surprised at the mess that was scattered about. Koschei noticed the look on his roommate's face. "You know, if you really want me to, I'll pick up…" Theta gave a weak smile and a quick nod. The older boy set to work tossing clothes into piles and papers into the small trashcan beside his desk.

"Koschei?" Theta asked, looking around the room. The dark haired boy looked up from his work with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah?" Theta was about to ask all of his questions, but he decided against it. He was just new to this whole group of geniuses, and there was no point in looking more stupid than he already did.

"Nothing," he said with a shrug and walked over to his bed. He sat on it and began to pull out some of his belongings. He had a small picture of his father, mother, and two younger twin brothers. He also had a book on metaphysics and several sets of clothes. After a look at his meagre collection, Koschei let out a small laugh.

"Sheesh. You're not living in barracks or anything. You can actually make it look like a room," Koschei offered before walking into the adjoined bathroom. Theta stared at the only picture he found among Koschei's things which was tacked to the wall. It was a couple, in their mid-forties, wearing the robes of politicians and smiling brightly. Theta looked back to the picture he'd brought. No one was smiling.

His father had an arm around his wife, and his twin sons were standing in front with Theta to the side. He almost laughed, though not happily, at how fitting it was. Koschei came out of the bathroom wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. He walked over to his bed and threw himself down onto it.

"Tomorrow's the first day of classes. Might want to actually sleep," he offered. Theta nodded and walked over to the light beside his bed. He flicked it off before stumbling back to his bed, and prayed that he didn't go sprawling after tripping on something that had been left lying out.

"Koschei, is that your family?" he asked, looking to the small picture taped to the wall.

"Yeah," Koschei said, turning his back to Theta and pulling the blankets up to his shoulders.

"Oh. Night," Theta said softly, pulling his own blankets up around him. The bed was so strange. Even if all the beds in the Academy were technically the same standard mattress and frame, it was still strange not to be in the same one he had spent three years in previously.

"Night." Koschei grunted before closing his eyes and trying to drift off to sleep. Theta looked over and then twisted onto his side to try to find a comfortable position. He looked at the mess around him, shook his head, and then closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep.

_Next Chapter: Gathering_


	4. Chapter 4

_Year Four- Chapter Four- Gathering_

Koschei woke up to the sound of buzzing beside him. With a groan and a grunt, he tossed the blankets off of him and slapped the small box beside his bed. He rubbed his eyes, muttered something obscene under his breath, and looked at the bed opposite his own. The blankets were made and the pillows looked like they'd been fluffed. Koschei raised an eyebrow and walked over to the bed. He looked around the room. There was no sign of his new roommate. He looked to the bathroom door. It was still open from last night. With a frown, he picked up a message box that had been sitting on his desk and plugged in Ushas' coordinates.

"Did you kidnap the fourth-year?" he asked. The box beeped and a red light flashed on its side before it sped off, hitting the door abruptly. Koschei rolled his eyes and opened the door so it could find Ushas. He looked around and glanced out the window. When he saw nothing but a milling crowd of students outside the dorm, he grumbled. He tossed on his Academy uniform haphazardly and glanced out the window again. He heard his door open and he spun around, expecting to see a scrawny, sandy-blonde haired kid. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a crazy-haired Ushas with his message box under her arm.

"You wake me up thirty minutes before I have to be awake because you can't find the kid?" she demanded, tossing the clear box at him. Koschei dived and caught it, glaring at her.

"Yeah, get over it. Did you kidnap him?" he asked.

"No!" she said indignantly, crossing her arms. "In fact, I did not." She made a disgusted sound. "What are you, his babysitter?" Koschei carefully set his message box on his bed with a glance to see if she had messed with any of the wiring before giving it back, as she was prone to do as retribution for bothering her. Ushas took a step back and looked down the hallway. She spotted a familiar face. "Speaking of him," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Found the lost puppy." She smiled triumphantly and walked away from the door as Theta walked in.

"Where were you?" Koschei asked, pretending to busy himself with grabbing papers for notes for his classes.

"I was running." Koschei stopped what he was doing to look up at the fourth year standing in the doorway. He stared at him and shook his head.

"You? Running? What the hell for?" he asked. "Where did you run?" he added as an afterthought.

"I… Do it every morning…" Theta said, suddenly blushing, looking embarrassed.

"Yeah…." Koschei said, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Uh… Just something my father makes us do every morning. It's kind of habit…" Koschei gave a small nod as though he understood and tossed some loose papers in Theta's general direction.

"Well, at least Ushas hadn't kidnapped you for some ridiculous 'rite of passage' thing." Koschei paused. "Because she's been known to do that." Theta gave a small smile and picked up the papers. "So first, I've got advanced calculus," he said, checking a paper on the desk. "And that's in the maths building, no surprise there… What's your class?" he asked, grabbing a pen and heading out of the room. Theta pulled a paper out from his pocket and scanned it.

"Understanding Conversational Linguistics… It's in the science building." Koschei glanced down the hallway. "Looks like you have a class with Mortimus, if I remember right. Well, I've got to run to make sure I actually get to class on time, so good luck with Mortimus," Koschei said before taking off, leaving a mildly stunned Theta standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Theta!" the blonde haired girl, Millennia, called from down the hallway. "Where are you headed?" she asked as she walked over. She was wearing the female version of the same uniform Theta was wearing- an orange top and brown pants, only she had a brown pleated skirt. She had her hair pulled back into a ribbon.

"Conversational Linguistics," he said with a smile.

"Oh. You're going to be with Mortimus…" She gave him a glance that obviously translated to 'good luck' before she put a hand on his shoulder. "Just don't let anything he says get to you." After a moment, she shrugged. "That's in the same hall as my first class. Want to walk together? You know, so you can talk with someone?" Theta nodded quickly.

"Please." Millennia smiled to him and started walking.

"So how bad is Koschei?" she asked as they stared down the hall to the exit. Theta shrugged.

"He's fine," he said noncommittally, not sure what she was looking for. He was already overwhelmed enough by how many people there were. He could have sworn that the student body had been smaller the year before. Or maybe the western dorm, where he'd housed before, was smaller, but whatever it was, he felt like a first year regardless of his previous experience.

"I suppose you're in less danger than Ushas' roommate, poor thing. She's probably inhaling more toxic fumes right now than she ever should…" Theta glanced at the students milling around them and then back at Millennia. She seemed totally unfazed by all the kids bumping into her and pushing their way past her.

"But the room's a mess," Theta noted in an attempt to keep the conversation going. Millennia laughed.

"Well, that would be a hazard of rooming with Koschei, I'd imagine. Whenever we hold meetings there it always looks like a tornado hit it." Theta nodded, understanding perfectly what she was talking about.

By the time they reached the science hall, they had three minutes until the first classes started, and both he and Millennia were laughing. Theta felt like he really had made a friend.

"Well, good luck with your… linguistics… thing," Millennia offered. "And good luck with Mortimus." Theta nodded gratefully.

"And good luck with your classes, too," he called after her as she walked away. He took a look at the door in front of him. It was labelled with the same number as was written on his schedule. When he opened it, he wasn't surprised to see that the class was entirely filled with students considerably older than himself. He walked to the first open desk that he could find and started to pile his papers on the desk, When he glanced around, he saw Mortimus sitting in the middle of the room, an eyebrow cocked, watched Theta intently. Awkwardly, Theta turned back to the front of the class, trying to ignore the other boy. When the teacher walked in, the talking stopped as the students pulled out pens and hovered them over their papers.

"Hello, students. I'm Professor Tion, and I will be teaching the class 'Understanding Conversational Linguistics.' If this isn't the class you are signed up for, please leave and find the correct classroom." There was silence and awkward glances as people looked around to see if anyone was going to leave. When no one moved, the professor continued. "First off, raise your hand if you speak a language other than Gallifreyan." The majority of the hands in the class went up, with the exclusion of one or two students. "Excellent. Your paper due next class will be a comparison of Gallifreyan and another language you are familiar with. I expect it to be well-written, so I can get an idea of your capabilities." Theta immediately began jotting ideas down on his paper. He got about three ideas into a paragraph about sentence structure when the teacher walked up to the board on the wall and began writing down seemingly random words. "I want to you all make three coherent sentences including these words." After a moment, an older girl in the back of the room raised her hand. The teacher nodded to her. "Yes?" he asked.

"What is the point of this?" she asked. There was silent agreement across the room. Mortimus smiled and rolled his eyes.

"This is a class about understanding communication. You can use the same words to mean something with completely different connotations. This is an exercise in comprehension," Mortimus said, loudly enough that the whole class could hear. The girl frowned and looked back down at her paper. The teacher nodded his praise to Mortimus.

"Very good…" he trailed off, waiting for Mortimus to give him name.

"Mortimus Lothair, Professor." Theta wasn't sure what bothered him so much about the teacher's approving look. Maybe it was because of the fact that Mortimus had been so rude. Or maybe it was the smug look cast in Theta's directions from the older boy. Theta was relatively sure it was the latter.

"Well, I wish that the rest of you would think the way that Mortimus does." Theta frowned further and began writing his sentences quickly. By the time he was done, the professor had already put up another set of words. By the time Theta finished that set, there was another one. The cycle seemed to continue for hours until the professor looked at the message box on his desk and nodded to himself. "Well done, students. Put your sentences on my desk and head off to your next class." Theta gathered his papers after making a quick note to write the paper before the next class. He dropped off the work on the professor's desk as Mortimus walked up.

"The whole concept of high context versus low context communication is fascinating," the boy said with a glance to the girl who had questioned the work. The professor nodded.

"Very true, Mortimus. You seem very bright for one your age…" Theta quickly walked out of the room, understanding why the Deca found him annoying. After a moment, a hand fell on his shoulder, and Theta nearly jumped out of his skin. Next to him stood Mortimus.

"You were very quiet," he commented snidely. Theta looked at the door ahead of them.

"Just… Brainstorming for the essay."

"I was excused from it." Mortimus looked at Theta, waiting for a reaction.

"Wonderful!" Theta said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. "You seem quite brilliant." The compliment was a challenge, but Theta managed to say it. Mortimus looked at his fingernails with a cocky smile.

"Of course I am, _enfant_. And don't forget it." As he walked away, Theta sighed.

Theta opened the door to his room, tossed his papers onto the floor, walked over to his bed, and collapsed onto it. Koschei, who had been sitting in his desk flipping through a book, looked up.

"You okay?" he asked. Theta nodded into the blankets.

"How did you manage your fourth year?" he asked, turning onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Koschei chuckled and grabbed the papers from the floor. He flipped through them.

"Four essays?" he asked, glancing at Theta. The younger boy threw his hands up into the air.

"Four essays, a list of potentially lethal chemical compounds composed of only basics, a set of vocabulary for Latin, a plausible theory on battle tactics against Sontarans when regeneration is impossible, and a sketch of a building intended to withstand a chosen disaster!" Theta listed off each one with more agitation. "How did you do it?" he demanded. Koschei walked over and handed the papers to Theta.

"Help. And lots of it." He pulled Theta to his feet and over to his desk. "First off, I'll give Ushas your chemical homework, she'll probably get that done in about five minutes, you can do the Latin, since that is your language, I'll ask Magnus about the battle tactics, and we'll consult Drax and Vansell about the engineering the building." Theta blinked. "That's the nice thing about being in the Deca, after Borusa's class, we all get together and help each other with our work."

"What do I do, then?" he asked.

"We'll find something you're good at, and then set you to work," Koschei promised. "Oh, and not to mention that we have the dinner tonight…" Theta sagged forward and put a hand on his forehead.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, you didn't know? Borusa invites the parents of his students over for a dinner here after the first night of school. And we're supposed to come. I guess you could skip with Ushas, but since you're new, you might not want to do that." Theta took the papers and threw them onto the desk.

"This is ridiculous! They're trying to kill us!" Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Naw, that's what the sixth year is for. Or so I've heard." After a moment's pause, he looked out the window. "We might want to start heading to Borusa's class," he offered. "And bring your homework." Theta grabbed what he needed and followed Koschei out of the room.

"So, what do I do in Borusa's class, exactly?" Theta asked.

"Well, you find something you're interested in. In Ushas' case, chemistry, in mine, politics, and you research it. You can write essays, read book, do experiments, and occasionally we take field trips, but those don't usually end well… Anyway, it's all about learning at your own pace." Theta looked at the ground. What was he interested in? He knew a lot about Gallifrey's military, thanks to his father, but he honestly couldn't care less about that. He liked temporal physics. He also liked the idea of studying history… "Don't worry about it too much," Koschei added. "Jelpax just figured out what he wanted to do half-way through last year." When they reached the library building, Theta cast a glance to Koschei.

"It's in the library?"

"There's a room in the back of the library. It's nice because we don't have to trek halfway across campus if we need to do book research…" When the two walked in, they were automatically greeted by a few of the Deca sitting around a table. "What are we doing out here?" Koschei asked.

"Ushas spilled toxic chemicals in the room. It's being fumigated." Rallon explained, looking up from a book. Ushas cast a mildly guilty look back down at the table.  
>"Yeah, sorry guys," she said. Millennia smiled.<p>

"Ah, it's fine. Not like I had anything important in there… Just an essay and all four pages of my mathematics," she teased. Koschei walked over to table and sat down. Theta pulled out a chair beside him. After a few minutes of quiet talking, an older Time Lord stepped out from behind a set of shelves with a collection of books in his arms.

"Ushas, for rendering the room temporarily unusable, you're going to write me an essay on the dangers of reckless experiments. Here are some books to help you get a jumpstart." Ushas nodded resignedly as he set the pile in front of her. She opened the first book and started reading. "As for the rest of you, go ahead and start working. I see Rallon's already started…" Rallon look up from his book.

"Sorry, sir. Not really. This is fiction." Borusa rolled his eyes.

"At least it's not a romance novel," he joked. Rallon pretended to look guilty.

"Of course not sir." Millennia giggled and grabbed the book from Rallon. "Oi! Give me that!" Millennia simply gave him a smug smirk. After shooting her a joking glare, Rallon looked back to Borusa. "Can I have the keys, sir?" Borusa put a hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, silver key.

"Rallon, if you put a scratch on the TARDIS…"

"I haven't done it yet, and I won't ever do it. She's too beautiful to harm," he said as he took the key and bolted out of the room. Theta looked around at the others, who were obviously already working. Borusa noted Theta and walked over. He pulled out a chair on the other side of Koschei, across from Theta, and smiled.

"Hello, Theta-Sigma Epsilon, I'm Professor Borusa." When he held out his hand, Theta shook it quickly.

"Hello, sir."

"Please don't call me that. Makes me feel old. Just call me Borusa. I heard that you're rooming with Koschei…" Theta nodded. "Well, good luck to you with that." Koschei looked up from the paper he was looking at and frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. Borusa gave a snide smile and shook his head.

"Anyway, so I'm assuming they gave you a run-down of what the class is like?" Theta nodded again. "Do you have any ideas on what you want to study?" Theta shook his head mutely. "You know, you are allowed to talk…"

"Yes, si… Borusa. I just don't have any ideas…" Borusa smiled.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find something for you."

_Next Chapter: Discord_

_AN: I will be sticking as close to canon as possible, but one of the major things I'm ditching is looming. According to canon, Time Lords cannot be born due to a curse on their species, but this whole plot is much more interesting if Time Lords are actually born, so that will be the biggest diversion I'm making. Thanks for reading, _

_Shara_


	5. Chapter 5

_Year 4- Chapter 5- Discord_

Theta sat on his bed, wearing his formal robes, sitting straight-backed and staring at the door. Koschei was brushing off his shirt and running his hands though his hair. He took a glance over at Theta, noticing the odd light in his roommate's eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm not going.," Theta announced suddenly. Koschei walked over and sat on the side of his bed, across from Theta. He looked at the unhappy family photo next to Theta's bed.

"I can see why…" Koschei muttered. He didn't really mean to say it loudly. In fact, he hadn't even meant to say it at all.

"What?" Theta demanded, whipping his gaze to meet Koschei's challengingly.

"Well, you're off to the side, your father's obviously fawning over the… uh… twins, right?" Theta frowned and looked at the picture. The whole scene gave off the painful aura of control. Everyone was tense, forcefully well-ordered, and obviously unhappy.

"Yeah…" Theta admitted, turning the picture away, so Koschei wouldn't look at it anymore.

"Well, I don't care if you don't want to deal with your family, but you're coming. If I have to suffer through dinner with Ushas' parents, you can suffer with me," Koschei declared, pulling Theta to his feet by his shoulders. Theta groaned.

"No…"

"Yes." Koschei argued, pushing Theta out of the room. Standing beside the door frame was Ushas. She was frowning and muttering under her breath. Koschei glanced at her and smirked. "A skirt, Ushas? I thought you were ditching." Ushas pushed herself off the wall and kicked off her flats.

"My mom's dragging along the entire clan because she doesn't want to feed them on her own, and she wanted me to watch them." She looked to Theta. "In case you didn't know, I've got eight siblings." Theta blinked.

"Um… Wow… And I thought two siblings were bad…" Ushas scoffed and shut the door behind the two boys.

"Yeah, tell that to my mum. I'm just glad that I get to live at the Academy and not deal with all the kids…" She shuddered, not even joking. Koschei smiled and slung one arm over Theta's shoulder and the other over Ushas'.

"Only child," he said with a smirk. Ushas turned her head to the side and glared.

"Spoiled brat."

"Obnoxious prat," Koschei shot back with a cocky smile. Ushas punched his side with her free hand. Theta looked over at the two, wondering how they'd become such close friends. Koschei and Ushas seemed hate each other most of the time, and yet they got along relatively fine. The whole scenario was just so odd. The three walked down the hallway awkwardly until Koschei finally released them. As they continued out of the building, Rallon and Millennia, who had been walking further ahead, stopped and waited.

"Ushas, you're coming?" Millennia asked, looking at the skirt and the shoes in the other girl's hand.

"Yeah…" Millennia smiled and looked to Theta.

"Well, just… play nicely with the other children," she teased. At that, Ushas charged forward jokingly and Millennia ducked behind Rallon.

"Do you know how many times my mother has told me that?" Ushas demanded. Millennia nodded with a playful smile. With a shake of her head, Ushas rolled her eyes and retreated away from the other girl.

"Let's keep the fighting tonight at a minimum," Rallon interjected. "We don't want to give the smaller children any bad ideas…"

"Yeah, all eight of them…" Koschei muttered.

"Hey, seven," Ushas corrected. "Cesir graduated last year, so he won't be here." Koschei nodded in defeat and held a hand out to Ushas.

"Do you want me to carry those?" he asked, motioning to the shoes. Ushas eyed his suspiciously and put them back on her feet.

"I don't trust you…" Rallon laughed and put a hand on Koschei's shoulder.

"Nice try." Theta looked at the student's hall in front of them, where most student body ate their meals. After walking through the main doors, they headed to the back of the building, and, when Rallon opened the door, the students were greeted by the sight of their families. Several small children were chasing each other around wildly, and the chaos was enveloping the room. Ushas was already a bright shade of red. Koschei immediately walked over to his parents. His father was tall, with black hair and brown eyes. His mother, on the other hand, was considerable shorter. Her brown hair was cut well above her shoulders, and she had a bright smile.

"Koschei," she said, putting and arm around his shoulder. He was almost as tall as her.

"Hello, Mum," he said with a nod to her. He then looked to his father. "I heard that you're fighting for your position on the high council…" His father sighed.

"Yes, the Origin has decided that I'm senile and unable to do my job." Koschei's mother laughed.

"The irony is that she's nearly four hundred years old than your father, and actually senile." The family laughed among themselves until a small child with jet black hair ran into Koschei's father and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Sor…Sorry, Guardian, sir!" he said quickly. Koschei's father gave the child a reassuring smile.

"It's fine," he assured. A woman with a small child on her hip walked over to the group. As she approached, Koschei walked off to find Theta among the mild chaos. He found Borusa talking to Magnus' parents, and Jelpax teaching several of Ushas' siblings about temporal physics. When he looked to the corner of the room, he found who he was looking for. Beside an obviously tense Theta stood a tall, blonde haired man. His gaze seemed cold and empty. Standing silently behind him was a tall woman with blonde hair. She, too, looked uninvitingly uncomfortable. Koschei walked up and smiled to the man.

"Hello, I'm Koschei Mekail," he introduced. At the boy's name, the man's face twisted into a scowl.

"Yes, I'm acquainted with your father and his… beliefs…" Not missing a beat, Koschei continued.

"Cool. Hey, would you mind if I brought Theta over to-" He was cut off by Theta's father again. Theta shook his head to Koschei quickly, trying to discourage him, to get him to leave.

"Leave my family alone." Theta's father demanded coolly. "Before I make you." Koschei blinked and looked to Theta who was subtly trying to discourage Koschei from staying with covert hand motions. Koschei gave a small nod.

"Okay, sir, Numeral…" he said, trying to remember what Magnus had said Theta's father's name was. The Numeral nodded curtly and manoeuvred Theta and his wife over to the opposite side of the room, away from Koschei's family. Ushas walked up to Koschei, panting.

"Have you seen a red-headed one, about yea tall…?" She motioned to her hip. Koschei shook his head, hardly paying attention to her. "Well, shit," Ushas mumbled, glancing around the room. "I don't see why my mum had to drag all of them here….." She glanced around the room, and, when she caught sight of the child, hiked her skirt up and dove after him.

All of the chaos was beginning to spiral out of control when Borusa whistled loudly, getting the attention of the entire room.

"Everyone, please, take a seat," he thundered over the noises of the small children. Koschei found his parents again and looked over at the Numeral, who was sitting at the other end of the table with his wife to his right and the twins to his left. Theta was next to the twins, looking mildly miserable. Koschei suddenly understood why he had wanted to ditch the event.

"Do you know the Numeral?" Koschei asked his father. His father blinked and gave an evasive shrug.

"There are several," he said dismissively. Koschei frowned and glanced over to see that Theta's father was talking with Drax's mother. Koschei's mother was watching the other family, as well. She had her gaze narrowed in on the Numeral warily.

"And which one is your roommate?" she asked her son.

"Curly blonde, by the Numeral," Koschei said, trying to avoid staring as the Numeral caught his glance and returned it with a glare.

"Oh," she said softly, almost under her breath. She looked to her husband and then back at the other family. Koschei raised an eyebrow as his mother and father began whispering amongst themselves. He turned to his left, where Vansell was sitting.

"So…" he tried to start. The other boy was never the conversationalist, but Koschei wanted a distraction of some sort. Vansell glanced up from the book he had on the table and waited. "Where's your father?" he asked. Vansell blinked and looked to his mother, who was to his left.

"He had to work late," Vansell said absently and then went back to his book. Koschei gave up on the futile attempts to start a conversation with the book worm and turned back to his mother, who was smiling again, although this smile was much more forced than the one she had worn a few moments previous.

"Something wrong?" he asked. His mother shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. Koschei frowned. He always knew when his parents were lying. He raised his eyebrows. Just as he was going to press for more information, Millennia's mother, Nichol, leaned forward and caught his mother's eye. "So, Nichol, how are you?"

"I couldn't be better, Protector! I heard your son got third in the rankings. That's quite an accomplishment, if I've ever heard of one." The thin woman gave a congratulatory smile to Koschei before continuing talking with his mother.

"Millennia got first, though, didn't she?" Protector asked. Nichol shrugged.

"Yes, but she's not in competition with anyone else in the Deca. They're practically their own little family." She gave a lilting laugh. "Although, I'm almost convinced that they're more of a cult than anything else." Protector nodded enthusiastically.

"From what I've heard from Koschei, I'm beginning to think along the same lines!" The two women laughed together for a moment before Nichol changed the subject.

"So, on the council, how are things?" she asked, suddenly. "I've heard the Guardian has been put under probation…" Protector sighed. Koschei scoffed.

"Only because the council doesn't like his policies and opinions," he explained to her. "Excuse me, Mother, but I'm going to go and see if Ushas is okay…" Both Nichol and the Protector looked over at the girl. She was trying to hide her face behind her hand as two children on either side of her were throwing utensils at each other. Koschei stood up and rounded the table. He stopped behind her and grabbed the shoulders of both of the children. Two young pairs of eyes looked back at him, startled. "Okay, you two, let's give it a rest," he said, his eyes flashing a gold tinge around his irises. The two blinked, stunned, and nodded. They turned back to their plates and sat quietly.

"I thought you said you wouldn't do that to my siblings," she said as though she was trying to figure out if she was actually okay with it or not. Koschei shrugged unapologetically.

"They were driving me up the wall, anyway."

"Yeah, but what if that screws up their minds or something. They're little. What if it makes them stupid or something?" Ushas argued, glancing at both of them and raising her eyebrows at their suspiciously good behaviour. The younger girl looked back to Koschei.

"May we go and run around?" Koschei shook his head.

"No," he answered coolly. Ushas sighed before turning back to the boy behind her.

"Would you mind letting them think for themselves. This is getting scary." Koschei scowled and walked away from the siblings, back to his spot. He looked over at Theta, again. The boy was wedged between one of the twins and Rallon's father. He looked beyond wretched, but he was making a particularly good attempt at appearing stoic.

By the time the dinner was over and everyone had talked to Borusa, the families returned home, leaving the children to head back to their dormitory rooms. Koschei walked to Theta and gave him a thin smile.

"So… Strict father…"Koschei said, attempting humour. Theta looked up at him and shrugged.

"It could be worse."

"And he likes your brothers better?" Theta let out a small, humourless laugh and looked at the ground. He didn't look back up for a while, but the older boy waited for a response nonetheless.

"He just… worries about them more. That's all. Them being younger, more… active…" Theta looked like he was just trying to make up excuses. He paused. "Besides. I'll never be as good as them or anything…" Koschei blinked and stopped walking.

"What? The two that sat there and said nothing the whole time? They're what? Five? And they didn't really seem to have minds of their own at all… And you're fifth in the Academy!" Koschei looked back at the building they had been in previously, and then looked to Theta.

"Well, Father just…" Koschei rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Yeah, well, your Father's obviously playing favourites," Koschei argued. "Now let's get back. You still have four essays to write, don't you?" Theta looked at the ground and nodded. "And for the record, you're not bad. For a fourth-year."

_Next Chapter: Sem'ya_


	6. Chapter 6

_Year 4- Chapter 6- Sem__ʹ__ya_

_Warning: This chapter includes graphic physical and mental child abuse_

The house loomed menacingly over countless other homes. It was bigger than most of those around it, yes, but still it betrayed nothing about the family inside, the family that Theta feared. He stood on the doorstep for a few minutes, looking at the door and dreading the sound of his father's commanding voice. When he finally got himself together, he knocked on the door. There was the sound of a mild clamour inside, but within seconds, his mother was at the door. She looked down at him with her cold, blue eyes and tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind an ear.

"Theta-Sigma," she addressed uncaringly as she stepped to the side. Theta smiled thinly to her and walked in. The entry hall was filled with busts of his ancestors and the family crest was hung in the middle of the museum-like displays. He looked at the crest- the Gallifreyan symbol for loyalty with a sword covered in laurel leaves. He thought the irony was crippling. His family was not at all peaceful. The sword was fitting. The laurel leaves were the joke. With a glance at his smile, his mother raised her eyebrows. "May I ask what is so entertaining?"

"I was just looking forward to seeing Father and Kappa and Zeta," Theta lied quickly. She did not look satisfied with his answer but kept walking.

"Epsilon, dear, the boy is home!" she called as they walked into the dining room. There was the sound of an unfeeling grunt from the study on the other side of the house. On the other hand, the twins barrelled down the stairs and began circling their older brother like a pair of sharks.

"Who was the girl with all the brothers and sisters?"

"She was ugly."

"The stupid boy with his hair all spiked and ash on his face tried to light the table on fire."

"Is he really that stupid?"

"I hated the old man."

"He thought he was so smart, but he wasn't! Not at all." Theta tried to ignore their pestering until he saw the glare from his mother.

"Ushas, no, and Borusa is very nice," he said, trying not to get too frustrated at the younger boys. The two stopped and frowned at the same time, as though they were robots designed to react similarly and simultaneously to any stimuli. "Mother, may I go upstairs?" he asked. She turned around.

"Before you disappeared off to that messy pit you call a room and do Rassilon-knows what, your father wants to see you." Theta raised his eyebrows and gave a shy nod to the ground. Kappa and Zeta both flashed smug smiles to each other and followed behind Theta to see what trouble he was in. Theta walked to the study, knocking timidly on the door frame. The door was open, but no one ever entered Epsilon's study without his permission.

"Come in," he said gruffly. Theta stepped inside, hands held tightly behind his back, his posture painfully straight.

"You wanted to see me, sir," Theta said, trying to sound more confident.

"The boy, the black-haired one. What was his name, again?" Theta paused.

"Koschei…" Epsilon closed his book quickly and glared at Theta.

"His first name is unimportant. What is his last name?" Theta frowned. He almost didn't remember. Epsilon stood up, pushing his chair away and towering over Theta menacingly. "The name, boy!"

"Mekail! Koschei Mekail!" he said, trying to back away, but only ending up colliding with the wall behind him. Epsilon took a step back, an unsettled frown edging into his features. Epsilon walked back to his chair and sat in it stiffly, thinking.

"And his father and mother are politicians?" Theta nodded mutely. "I want you to have no contact with this boy," he said after a moment of deliberation. "His parents are abominations. They believe that the Southerners are our equals; that our oldest codes mean nothing. They champion the disgusting, the useless, and the ungodly. Do you hear me, boy?" Theta gave another small, frightened nod, but then paused.

"Koschei seems fine enough…." At that, Epsilon jumped back to his feet, his face a mask of hatred.

"Do you know what his father has done to our family?!" he roared. Theta shook his head, trying to make himself seem as small as possible.

"But… He's not his father…" Theta didn't know why he was protecting the boy he hardly knew. Perhaps it was because Koschei had shown him something he had never experienced- he made Theta feel like he belonged. Epsilon gave a sadistic smile.

"I'm sure. But you've heard the way he speaks, the way he acts. He is just like his disgusting parents." Epsilon leaned down to Theta's level. "You are never to talk to him again, understood?" Theta was going to nod, but he hesitated too long. Epsilon grabbed his chin and forced Theta to look into his eyes. "You're weak. Disgusting. Respond when I'm talking to you!" Theta flinched and nodded.

"S… Sorry, sir!" Epsilon let go of Theta roughly and walked away, wiping his hands against each other as though he was trying to clean them off.

"Get out of my sight." At that, Theta took his leave quickly. He walked out to see Kappa and Zeta smirking tauntingly at him.

"Shut up," he muttered to them when they started giggling. He took a few more steps, and, before he knew what was happening, he felt a pressure on his back and was wheeled around. His father stood behind him, holding his collar from the front now, a furious look in his eyes.

"What did you say, boy?" he hissed, dangerously quiet.

"I… was talking to Kappa and Zeta… They were teasing me…" Epsilon looked for the twins, who had scampered away before he could come out of the office.

"Don't lie to me!" he yelled. Theta shook his head.

"I wasn't, sir... They…" Epsilon brought his arm up and backhanded his son. Theta let out a pained gasp at the hit and whimpered slightly.

"Never lie about your brothers to me again. They are better than you ever will be, child, and you," he let the word settle in the air for a moment, "are nothing. Now get to your room. I don't want to see you for the rest of the night." He released Theta, who stumbled away, a hand quickly going to his tender cheek. Theta walked up the stairs and tried to ignore the snickering he heard from the younger boys. He opened the door and closed it quickly. As he dragged in a breath, he slid down to the floor with his back against the door. He looked around at the perfectly spotless room. There was nothing out of place. He didn't know why his mother always insisted it was a mess. All of his clean clothes were hung in the closet, his books were in alphabetical order by author's last name, and his bed was neatly made after every night he slept in it. On the other hand, she always complimented how clean the twins kept their room… Theta shook his head. He was an embarrassment to the family. He was a burden. The twins were better than gold. He took a moment to remind himself of that. He couldn't forget, or he knew he would end up being hit again. Thinking of the hit, he unconsciously brushed the tips of his fingers gently to his cheek. It still hurt.

He sat like this for hours, trying to remember his place. His friends at the Academy were giving him ideas… Dangerous ideas. He should have known better than to think, even for a moment, that he was actually worth something. Long after the sun had set, Theta felt a gnawing in his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since his breakfast at the Academy before heading home for the weekend. He had heard his family having dinner a while before, and he had heard it being cleaned up. If he was quiet enough, he assumed he could go down and have a quick, cold dinner without his father spotting him. He stood up slowly. His muscled ached from being in such an uncomfortable position for so long. After waiting a moment to allow the blood to flow back into his legs, he opened the door as noiselessly as possible. He headed down the stairs. He hit the third to last step and heard a loud creaking noise from under his foot. He froze and listened carefully to see if anyone had heard.

"No, Origin, I'm saying that Mekail's son is trying… No! Listen!" His father was talking to someone, one of his allies, probably. Theta walked past the office door, which was cracked open only slightly. He walked into the dining room, and then opened the door into the kitchen. Janna, his mother, was not in the kitchen, which was a surprise to Theta. She spent much of her time preparing meals for Epsilon. Theta naturally assumed that she was looking after the twins or cleaning up the house so it matched his father's standards. He opened the pantry door and saw a bag of something. He grabbed the bag and then saw a plate left out. It was on the floor. Theta saw the left-over meat and eyed it. He knew it was for his father's hunting dogs, when they were let in for the night, but he was so hungry… After a moment's deliberation, he left the possibly rancid meat on the plate on the floor and risked actually taking food that would be noticed.

He headed back upstairs with the bag of unlabelled food and a handful of meat scraps from the dinner his family had eaten a few hours previously. He closed the door, locked it, and quickly began to scarf down the meat. Next, he opened the bag. Inside was a collection of dried fruits from Southern Gallifrey. He ate a few as quickly as he could, but he heard footsteps on the stairs. He bolted up and shoved the bag under his mattress in an attempt to hide his guilt. He wiped his face off with his hand and grabbed a book from his side-table. He flipped it open and tried to look engrossed as his door was opened by an old woman. She had her long, grey hair braided back. She walked over to Theta and nodded to him curtly.

"I heard from your father that you had a run-in with Mekail's son." Theta looked up from his book and gave her an unsure nod. He got an uneasy feeling about her. He knew she was on the high council, but he knew nothing more. "And what's he like?"

"Nice, I suppose… He's a little messy… And loud…" She gave a small, demeaning smirk.

"Those would be the traits of the Mekail family. Well, with cockiness and arrogance included." Theta gave no response to her words, but quietly closed his book. "Has he said anything to you about his family?" Theta shook his head.

"No, ma'am." She frowned and gave a sigh.

"There is no need to lie for the boy. He's the lowest of the low. I'm sure your father's told you about their dirty politic s and their… odd… ways." Theta nodded, simply trying to escape the conversation.

"Yes," he stated complacently, wishing she would leave so he could continue eating; the gnawing, dull pain in his stomach hadn't disappeared yet.

"You see, they're trying to destroy Gallifrey, one policy at a time. Don't trust any of the members of that family." Theta nodded for the umpteenth time. With that, she stood up with a small smile to the young boy. "Oh, and Theta, I'm sure the boy hasn't told you about this, but did you know he was actually diagnosed as insane by the lower councils? Food for thought. There might be more he isn't telling you," she said as she walked out. Theta looked after her, confused. He wasn't sure exactly what was truth, what was fiction, and what was a muddled mix between the two when people like her talked to him. He didn't trust any of his father's allies. They were all manipulative. He knew that much. They made him remember that he was expendable, useless, or weak, as his father said. He knew what he was. He was nothing more than a child. He was a pawn.

_Next Chapter: Politik_

_AN: This story would not be possible without the help and encouragement of Unapologeticallybombastic who deals with my WWWY driven insanity, and is sucked into it herself. I owe her for making so much of this story with me! Thank you, dear._


	7. Chapter 7

_Year Four- Chapter 7- Politik_

The mansion sprawled across the outskirts of the main city. It was ancient, older than the Prydon Academy itself. The worn, old brick was crumbling away and fading to a light and dusty shade of red. Plants were growing up the sides, clinging onto the building for support. It was all so familiar, so comfortable. Koschei smiled at the whole scene. This was his home. He walked up to the iron-wrought, Earth-style fence that had stood as long as the house and pushed it open. After walking up a cobblestone path, he opened the heavy front door. He was quickly greeted with the sight of his mother and father on the couch, both enveloped in books. Koschei walked over behind the couch and leaned down.

"Hey, Mum, Dad." he said, glancing at the books to see if he recognised them. Callia, the Protector, looked up from her book with a smile.

"So how was your first week of school?" she asked, putting her book down. Koschei shrugged put a hand on his father's shoulder.

"It was pretty good. What news about the Origin?" he asked his father. Mekail sighed and closed his book. He looked up at his son.

"To tell the truth, she's gotten worse. She seems to have some ridiculous plan to get me kicked out of my office. And she's been busy rallying people to her cause." He looked disgusted. "I don't see what they can't just understand that simply because we're Northerners, or because we hold higher jobs than others, that all Gallifreyans are equals…" He shook his head.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you can handle it," Koschei said, moving from the back of the couch to the front. He sat between his parents comfortably. He put his hand over his mother's and looked at the books that were piled around the couch. "So… What's for dinner?" Callia laughed.

"That's the teenage boy, I know. Thinking with his stomach," she teased. Mekail looked guiltily at his wife and then his son.

"I don't want to make anything…"

"Well, neither do I," Koschei and Callia said at the same time. Each family member glanced at the others to see who would concede first.

"Well, I have to prepare for a case tomorrow," Callia quickly stated, motioning to the book in her lap.

"I've got two essays. One of them is five pages." Koschei argued. The two looked to Mekail.

"I'm on probation…" he offered. Noticing the sceptical glances, he rolled his eyes. "Fine," he conceded, "but we're having soup." Both Koschei and Callia exchanged victorious glances. "And don't look so smug," Mekail muttered as he jokingly sulked and walked to the kitchen to prepare the dinner. Koschei turned to his mother, taking up the couch space that had been previously occupied by his father.

"So… What's your case about?" he asked. Callia frowned deeply.

"Well, it's an honour killing," she admitted. "A Northerner said that he caught a Southerner looking at his daughter and, well…" she trailed off. Koschei sucked in a breath. He knew what kind of death Southerners normally received at the hands of angry Northerners, and it wasn't a pretty one.

"So the fighting's gotten worse?"

"Most of the Southerners have been relocated back to the south. Neither government wants a civil war, but at this rate…" Koschei nodded. He understood all too well. Being raised into politics, he knew about all conflicts on Gallifrey, and the Southern and Northern Gallifreyan disputes had been occurring since before he was born.

"And why are you working on an honour killing case? I thought that only the higher councils dealt with that stuff." Callia smiled.

"I'm higher up than you think, boy," she teased with a bright smile. "And we're aware that this case is a little out of our jurisdiction, but it's not as though we actually have a choice. The higher councils are muddled with their own issues about the cultural division." That was what his family called it- a cultural division. Callia made sure to go out of her way to remind her son that, regardless of the fact that the two halves of Gallifrey were different in the most notable degrees, they were still the same people; they were equal in all respects.

"It's crazy," Koschei admitted. "But how are you doing with all of this?" Callia looked at her son, pleased with his manners.

"I've been surviving just fine." She stopped when a thought came to her. "Say, how is your new roommate?" Koschei shrugged with a fond smile.

"Just like I told him- he's not bad for a fourth-year."

"Oh, really? You went and gave a compliment like that?" she asked sarcastically. "That kindness musts have just blown him away." Koschei nodded with a smirk. His mother stood up and ruffled his hair. "You need a haircut."

"Watch it! I like it how it is," the teen argued. His mother simply smiled warmly and continued into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm going to help your father with dinner so we don't end up with a burning lump of… unidentifiable sustenance…" The two laughed at the joke, and Koschei stood up to help his mother and father. When he walked into the kitchen, he found his father releasing a message box out of the kitchen window. Callia crossed her arms and looked at her husband expectantly.

"May I ask?"

"I was calling in a favour," Mekail said snidely before walking behind his wife and pulling her into a hug, his hands around her waist. "You see, since none of us actually want to cook anything… I had the Bard bring us something. She does owe me a few small favours." Callia shook her head and leaned back against her husband.

"Surprisingly, I have no issue with this. How long till it gets here?"

"Well, seeing as food doesn't cook itself, although Rassilon knows that I wish it could, I don't know." Callia looked to her son.

"You could go to your room and find something to do, if you want." Koschei nodded and headed out before his parents started back to their books. He walked down the long hallways and found the room that was usually his. He opened the door and was quickly assaulted by the mess around him. He closed the door and turned the lights on. After a moment's deliberation, Koschei started picking up the clothes around him and putting them in the dresser. He wasn't quite sure what had possessed him to clean up, but something just felt… dirty… about his room. He picked up papers and threw them into the trash can and straightened his sheets; he started relocating all his books to the shelves on which they belonged, starting to put them in alphabetical order… After a good half hour of almost-frenzied cleaning, Koschei looked around and smiled to himself. He could actually see the floor, which was a considerable improvement from what it had been previously. He considered sitting down on the bed, but he felt like he had an itching for movement under his skin. It was driving him nuts. He opened the door that was opposite the foot of his bed and was hit by moist air. The pool in front of him was crystal clear and looked quite inviting. He was about to start swimming laps just to shake off the feeling of uneasiness. But something just didn't feel right about that, either. He closed the door and headed out into the hallway. He walked to the front of the house. Neither of his parents were in the kitchen nor the front room, so he just walked out the front door and took off. He started out at a jog. It felt good to have his hearts beating quickly, to have the air clean his lungs. He turned the corner onto the next street, and the next, speeding up as he went. The incessant itching under his skin was fading slowly.

After what seemed like hours, Koschei wound up back at his house again. He was breathing heavily and his legs ached. He opened the door to his house again. His mother was standing by the door, her arms crossed.

"Well, I was expecting the Bard, but…" Koschei ducked away from her analysing gaze.

"Sorry… I just needed to take a jog…"

"For an hour and half?" she demanded, eyeing him as he tried to edge away. "Really, you need to tell us before you go and do something like that. I'm sure you're aware that your father and I aren't exactly the most popular people in Gallifrey right now. I don't want you to be taking stupid risks." Koschei gave a small nod, still looking at the floor.

"Sorry, mother." She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

"I guess that I should just be glad that you cleaned your room." Noticing the look of surprise on Koschei's face, she looked down the hall. "It's quite the surprise. I think that your new roommate might be getting to you." Koschei brushed the comment off and walked away.

When the food arrived, it was brought by a short, young woman with long blonde hair. She smiled to Callia and then to Koschei, whom she saw lurking in the background. Koschei knew that she was a brilliant public speaker, and because of that, she made many enemies. However, his parents were two of her closest friends.

"Callia, Mekail, I'm glad that I can help out." She gave a direct look to Koschei. "I've heard you're in the top ten at Prydon. My congratulations! I always knew you'd be brilliant. Just like your parents! I can't wait to see what you choose to do in the future!" She looked over her shoulder. "Well, I'm sorry to just leave, but I've been called into the council for a meeting…" She handed Callia the platter and stepped back. "You all have a goodnight." Callia thanked her and shut the door.

"Mekail!" she called. "Dinner is here! And you owe Shayna! This looks beautiful." she said after flipping up the cloth cover and examining it. There were salads artfully created with white meat and bright silver, red, and green plants. Mekail came down the stairs and looked at Koschei.

"You didn't tell us where you were going," he mentioned evenly. Koschei nodded and ducked his head again.

"Sorry, Father… I just… Needed to take a jog." Mekail nodded to his son and walked over to his wife. He took the platter into the dining room and set the plates out. Koschei sat down and looked at the greens with a bit of a frown. As soon as his family was sitting down, he picked up a fork and began picking out the meat from amongst the vegetables. Callia took a forkful of the colourful salad. She glanced to her son. She chewed her bite and then turned to her son.

"Please eat something other than the meat," she requested. Koschei sighed and began to fork the leafy vegetables into his mouth with a look of general disgust. Mekail finished first and took his plate over to the sink. He began to clean the plate off. Koschei finished next and handed the plate to his father.

"I'm going to go to sleep now, if you two need me, I'll be in my room." Koschei announced before walking out. He headed down the familiar hallways until he reached his room again. He opened the door and was promptly shocked at how clean he had made it. His room hadn't looked that clean in years, it seemed. He walked over to his bed, thinking deeply. Most of his thoughts were revolving around Theta. Something was strange about the boy's family. And he knew that there was something wrong with Theta's father, Epsilon. That led him to question why his family had reacted so strangely to his appearance. It was probably something to do with his father's politics, Koschei decided.

At the thought of politics, Koschei scoffed. He recognised the look that Shayna, the Bard, had given him. It was not only praising, but appraising. She was measuring him up, seeing what competition he would be in twelve or so years. Would he be a fantastic politician like his father and mother? Koschei liked to think so. He smiled. He was not intended to follow, that much he knew. He would forge his own future if need be. He was not passive, and he never would be. He would never become a pawn in someone else's game.

_Next Chapter: Modest Truth_

_AN: I can never give enough thanks to my reviewers and followers, because you are all awesome! Also innumerable thanks to Unapologeticallybombastic and NobleBea, both of whom edit WWWY! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Year Four- Chapter 8- Modest Truth_

Ushas walked down the halls of the Academy, glad that she hadn't gone home over the weekend, as most of the students did. Too many children, too much stuff, and too much chaos- that was the motto that defined her family. The quiet Academy was perfect. She had gotten quite a lot done with her roommate gone and out of her way. She finished determining the chemical properties of an unnamed substance that Borusa had given her, she finished the essay she owed him for contaminating the classroom, and she finished all of her classwork. Ushas was quite impressed with herself, she had to admit. She continued down the halls until she reached room 163. She smiled and pulled out a small device she had demanded Drax make the year previous.

The rooms in the Academy dormitories did not have normal doors. They would only open for the two who shared the room, and those that were programmed into a system. For example, teachers could open any door at any time, regardless of previous programming. But Drax had figured out how to override the system through electrical impulses, so Ushas gladly paid him in chemistry homework to make her the key to any room in the school.

And breaking into room 163 was just too much fun. Ushas knew that it pissed Koschei off more than anything else, but that was the fun of it. She clicked the small button on the metal, ovular device and opened the door without any issues. When she walked in, she was surprised to see the fourth-year sitting at his desk, his nose in a book. She paused.

"Uh… Hey, Theta. Didn't you leave?" she asked. Theta nearly jumped out of the chair at the sound of her voice. He let out a small breath when he saw who it was.

"Yeah," he said, looking back to the book. Ushas walked over to Koschei's bed and sat down on it.

"You came back early," she noted. Most students didn't arrive back at the Academy until later that night or early the next day. Theta glanced up at her and then tried to go back to concentrating on the words across the page. "Family troubles?" she asked. Theta immediately shot her down.

"No. I just wanted to get some work done." He unconsciously rubbed the now-purple bruise that stretched across his cheek bone. Ushas stood up from the bed and pulled over the chair from Koschei's desk, knowing full well that, when he got back, he would kill her for messing with his stuff.

"Yeah, sure. Did you fall?" she asked, looking intently at the bruise. Theta gave a quick nod. She rolled her eyes and sat back.

"You know, you could report him." Theta put his book down carefully and shook his head.

"Ushas, leave me alone… Please." Ushas frowned. She grabbed a book from the desk and started to flip through it. The awkward silence settled between them for long enough that Theta picked up his book again and started taking notes on a separate sheet of paper. Ushas kept glancing up, wondering what Theta was thinking. "Please stop looking at me," Theta added, finally. Ushas furrowed her eyebrows.

"You know, you look like you've been cooped up for a while. Let's take a walk," she said, grabbing his arm with a smile. Theta looked at the work on his desk and then back at Ushas. He gave no complaints as she pulled him out of the room and down the hallway. When they were outside, Ushas led him to the back of the Northern dormitory. The red grass had grown to knee-height and there were a few trees that had survived around the empty, untended area. Ushas walked into the shade of one of them and plopped down in the tall grass. Theta followed suit stiffly. "Something's wrong," she said evenly. Theta blinked.

"I asked you to leave me alone…."

"Yeah. But I don't listen really well. Especially when your dad's beating you up."

"What makes you think my father would do that? He's smart… and brave…" Theta tried to come up with more compliments, but stumbled to a halt. Ushas looked up to the suns and the clouds, thinking.

"Well, first off, at the dinner, you never spoke once, and he kept glaring at you whenever you fidgeted, or even breathed, really." Theta ducked his head away from her. "And the way he controls your family… Well, it was just obvious. To me at least. I can't speak for anyone else." Theta bit his lip and folded his arms across his stomach as he stared at the clouds as well.

"I deserved it," Theta said finally.

"I'm sure you did!" Ushas proclaimed sarcastically. "Did you breathe too much? Too loudly?" she asked. It was meant to be a joke, but Theta only heard the sarcasm and stiffened further.

"I did! I was disobeying him… and…" He got to his feet with a troubled look on his face. Ushas' expression softened.

"Okay, okay." She patted the spot where Theta had been laying the moment before. "Just calm down. I'll stop prodding." Theta deliberated for a moment, but finally returned the spot he'd been lying in. After a few minutes of silence, Theta finally spoke up.

"About Koschei…" Ushas raised her eyebrows.

"What about him?"

"How long have you known him?" Ushas frowned and thought about it for a moment.

"A long time…" she finally said. "Ever since we were little. We'd chase each other around his house since before the Untempered Schism. And he always beat me whenever we raced. He's one of the fastest runners I've ever seen…" Theta left her to reminisce in silence for a little while. The few clouds that were overhead drifted away, and the sun's light began to brighten.

"Someone said something about him… I was just curious…." Theta began, struggling with how to mention the subject.

"Yeah, people say a lot of things about him. Most of them are wrong," Ushas said, her expression darkening. "Just because he's the son of the Guardian, he gets a lot of rumours spread about him. It's always been like that." Theta opened his mouth to ask if what the Origin had told him was true, but then decided against it. It was just another rumour. She probably had told him that just to make him dislike his roommate. Most of his father's allies lied to him a lot. He knew that was fact. "What did they say about him?" Ushas asked curiously.

"Oh, it was nothing…" Theta said dismissively. "Just… stuff about his childhood… And some stuff about his family." Ushas frowned and turned so she could look at Theta.

"Seriously. Don't listen to them. They don't know anything about him. He's a good guy. He's just strong-willed. And different…"

"Are you and Koschei dating?" Theta asked, blushing. Ushas gave a strangled snort and then broke out into hysterical laughter. Theta began to become seriously concerned as her face became a deep shade of red, and she rolled around laughing for a while longer.

"No," she said after catching her breath. "He's a bitch. No way I would ever date him. We're just good friends." She sat up with a grin still on her face. "And he's not exactly a fan of… you know… commitment or anything." Theta nodded. He had figured as much. "But I am curious… What exactly did they say about him?"  
>"Nothing. Really. It was just stuff about his family," Theta lied again. Ushas rolled her eyes.<p>

"You really should meet them sometime… Without your father watching you like a hawk. The Protector and the Guardian are great people. Some of the nicest I've ever met…" Theta nodded passively, trying to get out of putting himself in a situation to actually have to do something his father wouldn't want him to.

"Yeah, maybe," Theta said, looking at Ushas and then back to the sky. Ushas stood up.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I was just offering. So… What do you want to do now?" Theta shrugged and stood up. He looked back to the dormitory building. He didn't really want to keep working; he had done most of his work earlier in the morning. "We could go talk to Borusa," she offered. At that, Theta perked up.

"Would we be intruding?" he asked. Ushas scoffed and shook her head.

"He only has ten students. I don't think we keep him that busy…" she said, starting off towards the library. "And if he is busy, he'll stop for us." Theta nodded and continued to look around the large campus. There were no other students around. A few teachers were sitting on benches talking with each other or working on papers for their classes. Ushas waved to some of them. When Theta saw his rhetoric teacher, he smiled shyly. The teacher nodded to him and went immediately back to the papers in his lap.

When they reached the library, Theta was surprised to find that it was actually relatively hectic. Students of all ages were sitting around tables and reading, taking notes, and quietly talking. Ushas opened the door to the room in the back of the library to see Borusa, his feet up on his desk, talking to Mortimus. Theta immediately took a step back after receiving a glare from the older boy.

"Thank you, Borusa," Mortimus said, his monotone turning icy. "I will see you tomorrow." He walked past the two in the doorway, intentionally bumping into Theta. Ushas turned around and, over her shoulder called,

"Watch it, loser." With that said, she walked into the room, pulled a desk up in front of Borusa, and sat on it. Theta followed her lead.

"What brings you here?" Borusa asked, taking his feet off of the wood in front of him.

"Theta and I were bored," she said with a glance to Theta who gave a small nod.

"Sounds like you need more homework, then," he joked. Ushas rolled her eyes. "Well, in a more serious direction, why did you think that I would be, to any degree, entertaining?" Theta looked around Borusa's room, surprised to see quite a few pictures of Earth hanging up on the walls.

"Have you ever gone there?" Theta asked, almost accidentally; he had been thinking about it, but hadn't intended to say it aloud. Borusa nodded, a smile forming on his face.

"It's beautiful on Earth. I personally like London, but most of my students would rather go to a more…' interesting' city. Their words, not mine."

"London is boring," Ushas said pointing to one of the pictures on the wall. "Look, it's rainy, cloudy, and just like every other city. Now ancient Egypt is a very different topic. One time, we went and we met the nicest couple… I can't quite remember their names, though… One of them started with an' h,' I think…" Borusa shook his head.

"You have no taste," he argued.

"As if you do," Ushas challenged, smirking. After a moment of staring at each other, Borusa turned back to Theta.

"So, I see you survived your first week with Koschei as a roommate." Theta gave a nod. "And you're still alive…" Again, Theta bobbed his head. "Impressive." Ushas furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah. The other one didn't last more than four days before he demanded a new roommate. And then the other one… That one was just plain stupid… He even tried to mess up one of my experiments. Yeah, he didn't last long either. To think about it, you're doing pretty well!" Theta decided it was a compliment and smiled at her. Borusa sat back.

"So, Theta, what do your parents do? I didn't get to talk to them at the dinner, if I remember correctly."

"Oh, my Father's a captain in the military… And my mother stays at home and works around the house. Takes care of the dogs… and my brothers. They're five now." Ushas sighed.

"Ugh… Five's the worst. They start thinking they have a sense of humour, they get into stuff they shouldn't, and they gain the ability to lie convincingly. Worst age." Borusa raised his eyebrows at the girl.

"You hate all ages of children," he reminded gently. Ushas shrugged and sprawled across the desk.

"Touché," she admitted. Theta looked down at the ground, suddenly remembering the splotchy bruise across his face. He was sure that Borusa had noticed; he wasn't stupid. And of course, that meant that he was drawing conclusions and making judgements. Borusa looked at the young boy, knowing that he was growing more uncomfortable by the minute.

"Ushas, I think the Deca should get together and eat in here for dinner, just the ten of you. That way Theta can get to know all of you better, maybe you all can all do some of each other's homework." Ushas opened her mouth to deny the accusation, but Borusa stopped her. "I know you do it, don't even try to lie." The girl closed her mouth grudgingly. "What do you think, Theta?" The boy nodded quickly and gave a thin smile. Ushas jumped to her feet and slid the desk back to where it belonged.

"Thanks, Borusa, I'll make sure the rest of them know," she promised, heading out of the room quickly with Theta following closely behind her.

_Next chapter: Aberration_

_AN: I know the last four updates have been very quick, but that's because of standardized testing (meaning I have no homework...), so the updates will probably return to being once a week from now on. Sorry for being sporadic!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Year Four- Chapter 9- Aberration_

_"I'm sorry, Lord Guardian," the tall man in stiff orange robes said. The Guardian looked at his son who was busy reading a large tome in the corner. "But your son… He's…" The man gave a small nod of his head and a consoling smile._

_ "What is it?" the Protector asked, looking at her son. _

_ "It seems that the sound he is hearing is entirely mental, the seed of insanity." The Guardian opened his mouth and shook his head vehemently. _

_ "No! My son is not insane! Look at him, he's brilliant, he's the most well-behaved child I've ever met!" he argued furiously, but quietly enough that Koschei couldn't hear. The medic shrugged._

_ "There is no other explanation," he reassured. "Now, there are several steps we must take. The first part has already been taken care of. We entered him into the system, so now the knowledge is on record." The Guardian let out a low hiss of a breath. _

_ "And what else?"_

_ "Well, he has to be monitored closely from now on. If the… drumming… gets louder, you have to take note and bring him to us. We have to make sure that he is not a danger to himself or anyone around him." The Guardian got to his feet, his expression deceivingly calm._

_ "And if he is? What will you do?" _

_ "We'll deal with that as it happens, Lord Guardian." The Protector got to her feet and nodded to the medic icily. She walked over to her son and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with bright blue eyes and tilted his head to the side slightly._

_ "There's something wrong with me, isn't there?" he asked. The question was too intuitive for such a small child. He was just eight and he already knew that he was unnatural, that he was different from others. The Protector shook her head, tears springing to her eyes._

_ "No, dear, we're just worried about you and the… noise…" Koschei closed his book and got to his feet. He began tapping a finger from his free hand to a beat. A new beat, an ancient beat. _

_ "Then why is Father yelling at the medic?" The Protector looked at the tapping and shook her head. _

_ "Because the medic is wrong, Koschei," she explained as she pulled him out of the building, tears sliding down her face._

Drax walked into Borusa's room, holding a large pitcher. He kicked the door closed behind him and walked over to the circle of desks that were set up so the ten could talk to each other easily. He did a quick headcount. There were eight people present. He knew that Magnus was gone, as he often was, spending time with his family, and Mortimus had locked himself in his room and wasn't talking to anyone, even Rallon.

"God, Ushas, quit being such a pig. I want some of the fruit, too," Millennia teased, grabbing a bowl from the other girl. Ushas stuck her tongue out and smiled laughingly. Koschei, who wasn't all that hungry to begin with, was slowly drinking some water from a cup and watching the others. Drax sat down and put the pitcher near the front of his desk, out of his way.

"Theta, you have dogs, right?" Rallon asked. Theta gave a small nod. "Well, Millennia seems to think that they're great pets. Do you agree, or are you on my side of the argument?" Millennia raised her eyebrows and folded her hand together primly.

"They're great companions; I've done tons of research." Theta shook his head.

"My father's dogs kill things for fun. They're not exactly great companions." Rallon smiled victoriously and slammed a hand down onto his desk.

"I told you!" he taunted to Millennia.

"Well, they're the only dogs I know… Maybe there are some nice ones," Theta backtracked, not wanting to get into an argument.

"It's a joke…" Koschei muttered softly to Theta, noticing how he was shrinking back against the chair behind him, trying to appear smaller. Theta nodded and looked at the ground by his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. Koschei was tapping his finger against his leg. Theta moved his gaze to Koschei, about to ask him about it, but he was instead surprised to note that, no matter what was happening around him, Koschei kept the beat against his thigh steady. He was talking, motioning with his other hand, laughing, but regardless; it was still a metronomic movement.

"Koschei?" Theta started after watching for a while. The older boy turned to him with a smile on his face.

"Yeah?"

"You're tapping…" The younger boy trailed off, his eyes darting down to Koschei's leg.

"Oh, is it annoying you?" Koschei asked removing the hand from the side of his leg where it had been resting and putting it on top of the desk. Theta couldn't help but notice that as soon as he did that, his left foot began to twitch to the same beat.

"Yeah, ignore it," Ushas said, leaning in and smirking. "Koschei's just insane." At the word, Koschei tilted his head dangerously.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm just amazed you can't hear them since they're so damn loud," he hissed with an angry smile. Ushas knew he was teasing her, but Theta did not.

"What?" Theta asked meekly. Drax began to tap a finger against his desk in a beat of four.

"Koschei looked into the Untempered Schism and BOOM! He hears drums!" Drax narrated animatedly. Theta looked to Koschei, wide-eyed. Koschei had an infuriated look on his face.

"Drax," he said, oddly calm, "you're off-beat." Drax stopped his imitation of the drums' tapping and nodded apologetically. Koschei then turned his gaze to Theta.

"The funny thing is that no one else hears them… Strange, isn't it?" The cold tone was chilling. Theta nodded, cowering back. Koschei smirked and began tapping, quietly at first, slowly getting louder. Ushas shoved Koschei roughly.

"God, you're scaring the fourth-year," she said with a roll of her eyes. Koschei blinked and nodded.

"Right, yeah. Sorry, Theta." Theta gave him a smile to reassure him that he wasn't that off put. "So yeah, legally insane. Do you want a new roommate? I'm sure that it's not too late to request one…" Theta shrugged, looking at his desk.

"I kind of already knew," he admitted to no one in particular. "One of my father's allies, the Origin, she told me." At the name, Koschei nearly jumped out of his seat. Everyone stared at him, surprised at the sudden movement. Koschei settled back into his chair and gave a small cough.

"Sorry, the Origin and my family have never gotten along." he said, taking another sip of water from his glass. "And what else did she say to you?" Theta blinked.

"She… said that your father was trying to ruin Gallifrey. That they couldn't…" Theta trailed off guiltily. He didn't believe her, but for some reason, every moment of their quick conversation was seared into his mind. "Couldn't trust you." Koschei gave a humourless laugh and stood up.

"I'll be right back," he said and left the room. Theta looked after the older boy, feeling incredibly guilty.

"What did I do?" he asked, timidly, knowing the entirety of the Deca was staring at him. Ushas moved into Koschei's seat and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. He just gets like that sometimes," she comforted. "And I know he's sick of getting dragged into some of the stuff his parents have to deal with…" She stopped as a loud bang came from the other side of the door. She stood up. "I'll talk to him," she offered. The rest of the Deca looked at her as though she were a lamb being offered for slaughter.

"No," Theta said, standing up as well. "I'll do it. I'm the one who made him angry." Ushas took a moment to size Theta up and then nodded. She sat back down as he left the room, impressed. Most people wouldn't even dare looking at Koschei when he was pissed off.

Theta closed the door to have a book thrown at his head. He ducked quickly and glanced around for Koschei. The older boy was snarling something incoherent and picking up another large tome to heave. Theta rushed over and grabbed it from him. Koschei froze.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad! I was just… You asked…" Koschei blinked and looked at the book in his hand. He slowly relaxed his hand and let the book drop. Theta frowned. He could have sworn that, for a split second, Koschei's blue eyes were rimmed with gold.

"Sorry," Koschei immediately apologised. He cleared his throat and picked up the book. "Why didn't Ushas come out?" Theta picked up another book that had been thrown down.

"She was going to, but… I was the one that upset you." Koschei shook his head and put a hand on Theta's shoulder.

"Trust me, when I get like that, it's better to send out Ushas. And it wasn't your fault." Theta set the book on a table nearby and watched Koschei carefully. The older boy looked tired, as though all of his energy had left him. His blue eyes were suddenly a very dull colour.

"What happened?" Theta asked, his voice almost a whisper as he spotted another loose book halfway across the library. Koschei produced a mirthless laugh and walked over to pick it up. When he walked back he put it on the pile with the others.

"Product of the insanity, my father says. Funny thing is I feel fine. Everything's so much clearer when I'm... in one of my lucid states." The younger boy looked at Koschei, watching him closely.

"And the noise in your head… What is it?"

"Drums," Koschei said ominously. "They're always there… Tapping away. Sometimes they're louder, sometimes they're quieter."

"And when you get mad, they're louder," Theta guessed softly. Koschei looked at the younger boy with surprise before nodding.

"Yeah. And Ushas just says that I'm making it up, or that they really aren't there. It's funny, really. The only people that believe me are my parents and the few scientists who want to pull my head apart and study it."

"I believe you," Theta said honestly, eyes wide. Koschei looked at the floor and gave a quiet laugh.

"That's nice," he admitted. "When the Deca found out, they kind of just sat there… and then changed the subject." Theta shrugged.

"I don't see why you'd lie about it. And… I mean… the Untempered Schism is… weird."

"What happened to you?"

In a faint voice, Theta admitted, "I ran. I'm scared of what I saw, but I don't really remember it." Koschei gave a shrug similar to the one Theta had just used.

"I don't see why you're embarrassed by that." Koschei was going to say something more, but the door from Borusa's room opened. Ushas walked out, a glass of water in hand. She looked at Theta and then to Koschei.

"You managed to calm him down without getting any other bruises?" she demanded, looking between the two. "Rassilon, I feel so useless!" Jokingly, she threw her free hand into the air. Theta smiled at her bashfully. Koschei just leaned back against the table behind him.

"Thanks for making sure I didn't kill him, though. He didn't know what could have happened," Koschei said, his expression darkening ever so slightly. Ushas rolled her eyes at his change in demeanour.

"Quit bitching," she said, handing Theta the glass of water and then walking back into the room and closing the door loudly, not quite slamming the door, but enough to rattle the walls slightly. Theta handed the glass of water to Koschei.

"You might need this," he offered. Koschei took it with a thankful smile.

"You know, you really are the coolest fourth-year I've ever met." Theta blushed slightly and started making sure the spines of all the books were aligned.

"And you're just about the nicest person I've ever met." At that, Koschei coughed on his water. After gasping for a moment, he smiled.

"You really need to get out more, then, Theta," he teased. He looked back to the door. "Well, we'd better get back there and make sure they're not talking about us." Theta nodded and followed Koschei back into the room, wondering why the Origin thought Koschei's family was so bad. He was nicer to Theta than his own father was.

_Next chapter:__Such a Sickness_

_AN: This chapter was edited by the lovely author and artist Unapologeticallybombastic!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Year 4- Chapter 10- Such a Sickness_

The small room was constricting, claustrophobic. In the middle of the entirely grey chamber was a table with two chairs on either side of it. In one chair sat a man in his early forties or late thirties. He was wearing the stiff formal robes of a high-ranked politician. He had straight black hair and brown eyes that watched every movement in the room with careful judgement. He had the aura of a much older Time Lord. He was only on his first regeneration and already he was on the high council. Most would have said it was quite the accomplishment, but Mekail would beg to differ. He was determined, and he knew that his seat meant nothing unless he could stand up for his beliefs.

"Now, Lord Guardian," the Origin said, sweeping around him like a hawk eyeing her prey. Mekail let out a small, inaudible sigh and put a hand on the table in front of him calmly.

"Yes, Lady Origin?" he asked deftly. He was young, but he was adept at what he did. He would not lose a game of formality. The Origin took a moment to size up her competition before sitting down in her chair, across from Mekail.

"Do you understand why you are being interrogated here today?" Mekail gave a kind smile and a nod.

"Of course. Several members of the council feel that I am unable to retain my position due to my current standings on some very delicate situations." The Origin looked at Mekail, her eyes sparking with hatred.

"Very correct. And I was commissioned to question you to see if you are capable of keeping your seat among us." The two stared at each other for a minute, neither blinking, neither backing down. It was not until after the Origin blinked that Mekail inclined his head graciously.

"Well, you may proceed. You have my consent to question me." He almost added 'to your hearts' content,' but he knew that was dangerous ground to walk on. She would try to wear him down for hours simply because he said she could.

"Let's start from the most basic of the council's complaints about you." She turned around, her back to him, her eyes plastered to the wall, a patience smile stretching across her gaunt face. "Many consider your arguments and votes to be made for the sole intention of angering the council and preventing productivity." At that, Mekail gave an incline of his head as he cut her off from saying more.

"I am aware than many others feel the same way as you do, but I am not trying to 'prevent productivity;' I can assure you of that. Both my wife and I believe that there are underrepresented minorities on Gallifrey, and we want to assure that all Gallifreyans can enjoy equality. Is that against the rules of the high council, Lady Origin?" The remark slowed the older woman down, but it only encouraged her to keep the interrogation going. The longer she continued, the more likely he was to say something that would get him removed from his position.

"Your unconventional opinion of equality is disturbing," she noted coolly.

"Yes, because I recently said that Southerners should not be deported. Many of them have lived here in the north for generations. How would you differentiate between those who get to stay and those that are forced to leave? It is too risky to remove anyone from anywhere right now," Mekail argued level-headedly.

"And the other minorities?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"People with different… inclinations or different social positions should not be discriminated against, Origin. Our old laws are no longer applicable. We need to learn from our past mistakes and make new laws to accommodate those less fortunate."

"You know, thirteen years ago, your actions were very different." Mekail clenched his fist again under the table. He knew that she was trying to exploit his deepest worries and emotions. Her specialty was angering people, agitating them, making them say things they later regretted.

"I have not noticed a change."

"We have. The birth of your son, and his… most unfortunate diagnosis... seem to have changed you." Mekail forced a smile onto his features and glared at her.

"His diagnosis has not affected him. He is happy at the Academy and is in the top of his class."

"And how long was it after his birth when Eali tried-" Mekail stood up calmly, as collected as he possibly could.

"None of this has anything to do with my political stance." Origin gave her sweetest smile and then motioned to the door.

"You may leave if you want. I was simply trying to converse with you." Mekail gave another grimace of a smile and sat back down.

Koschei sat on his bed in the dorm, fingers tapping on the hard book cover under his hands. He was staring off into space, concentrating on something. Theta sat on his own bed, watching his roommate. The weekend was approaching, and, within a few weeks, there would be a small break. That would be another week with his family. Another week stuck in his room without food. His father would still be upset with him. Theta looked down at the sheets underneath him and began etching Gallifreyan into the folds of the fabric. Rain was pounding against the window, and the room was lit only by the two small lamps beside the beds. For a moment, Theta was sure that it was already night. He stared at the window, watching the water slowly roll down the glass. He glanced over to Koschei, noticing that his tapping was louder than previous. His fingers were drumming rapidly against the book. His expression was blank.

"I'm bored," Koschei finally announced. Theta startled slightly and gave Koschei a shrug. "We should do something." He walked over to his desk and tossed a book to the side. After a few moments of searching, he pulled out a small pack of papers held together by a tie. "Do you play cards?" he asked.

"Cards?" Theta asked.

"You know, like they do on Earth." At the mention of the planet, Theta's eyes lit up, but he shook his head.

"I'll teach you some games later," Koschei promised putting the cards back where he had found them. He glanced over at Theta's still-forlorn expression and tapped his fingers gently, trying to think of something to cheer him up. "Do you want to hang out with Ushas?" Theta shook his head and collapsed backward onto his bed, head hitting the pillows. The older boy walked over and stood where Theta could easily see him. "Okay, what's wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Theta said, trying to look away.

"We've shared a room for a month or so, now… Don't think that you can pull that over on me." At that, Theta managed a small smile. "Now out with it. I can feel your moping from across the room."

Theta looked at the ceiling as he admitted, "I hate breaks…" There was a moment of complete and utter silence. Then, Koschei broke out laughing. Theta bolted up indignantly.

"I don't want to have to spend a week with my family!" Koschei nodded, wiping pretend tears from the corners of his eyes. "What?" Theta demanded.

"_Nichego_," he said, gathering himself. "I can understand you not wanting to go home… I just never thought I'd hear a student at the Prydon Academy say that they hated breaks!" Theta raised his eyebrows at Koschei and crossed his arms.

"It's still not funny." Theta felt incredibly guilty that he was afraid to go home. He knew that fearing his family was ridiculous. His father was a fair man, and his family loved him, even if they didn't show their affection the way most people expected them to. But still, the thought of going back to the house for a whole eleven days was not pleasant by any means.

"Besides, that's an easy problem to fix," Koschei added, pulling Theta out of his guilt. The younger boy looked up at him, surprised.

"What?" he asked.

"I mean, Ushas never goes home over breaks. She goes with me and some of the rest of the Deca to my house over breaks. You can come along, too, if you don't want to head home…" Theta shook his head.

"My father wouldn't want me to go…" At that, Koschei scoffed and sat on his bed. Theta watched him carefully. "It's not that I don't want to spend time with the Deca! He just doesn't like you… Or your family… And-"

"It's okay," Koschei reassured. "I get it." He turned onto his back and put his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling. "I mean, you don't want to get another bruise-"

"It wasn't…" Theta tried to argue, but couldn't find a real defence for his father. "I just don't want to anger him. He'd be furious if he found out that I spent time with you more than I absolutely had to." Koschei pursed his lips.

"You could always lie," he offered evenly. "It's not that hard. You just say that you're staying here to work on your project with Borusa, who will vouch for you by the way, and then you head off with us to the house and have a load of fun." Theta sighed. Koschei made it sound so simple. Theta had never once succeeded in lying to his father. From his previous attempts, he knew that it was a bad idea, regardless of how convincing Koschei sounded.

"I always get caught." Koschei shrugged.

"Again, Borusa can help you out." He turned back to his side so that he could look at Theta. "I can always lend a hand. I've gotten pretty good at it." Noticing Theta's horrified look, he back-tracked. "Not to my parents, I never have to lie to them, but lying to teachers is so easy that it's almost funny." Instead of pacifying the fourth-year, the comment only succeeded in making him more nervous.

"No. I'm not going to lie. So that's that," he said with determination. Again, Koschei shrugged.

"If you say so. But it's not like we'd be unsupervised or anything. My parents are there. Well, some of the time. And Ushas'll be there. And Drax said he can come over sometime." Theta refused to respond. He had given his answer and he wasn't going to change his mind. There was a mildly awkward silence that hung over them until lightning cracked outside. Both boys startled. Koschei laughed quietly and walked over to the window. "It's really raining." he noted with surprise. "It hasn't done that in a while." Theta glanced over and nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed complacently.

"Have you ever been to a swimming pool?" Koschei asked abruptly, closing the curtains and turning around.  
>"Once or twice when I was little…"<p>

"You're still little." Koschei commented snidely. "Well, if you came over to my house for the break, I've got a swimming pool. You could go swimming any time you wanted." Theta looked to the floor, thinking deeply. He didn't want to lie to his father, but he also didn't want to spend time with his family more than he had to. "And we've got plenty of room…" Theta shook his head again. Koschei threw his arms up in the air. "Rassilon, you're stubborn!" he lamented. Theta nodded, smiling smugly. "Fine, fine. Your loss." For the first time, Theta actually thought he saw disappointment on Koschei's face.

"I don't want to anger my father." Theta repeated apprehensively. He saw Koschei's eyes dart to the faded bruise he had retained from his most recent family visit. He had only spent the weekend at the house once since the first weekend he'd had. And that trip hadn't gone much better than the first. His father had heard from one of his allies that the military was supposedly downsizing to meet the demands of the Southerners, and he was in a foul mood. When Theta had walked in the door, he had a book thrown at his head. The hard binding had left a considerable bruise on his forehead. He then tried to retreat to his room, but Epsilon had told him to help prepare dinner. Theta tried to help his mother, but he ended up breaking a jar, and getting yelled at by his mother. She told him to go to his room and stay there. She said she'd tell him when he could come out. She didn't talk to him for the rest of the weekend, and Theta had waited in his room the whole time, sneaking downstairs after everyone was asleep to get food.

"Yeah," Koschei said. "That's probably a good thing. Making him mad doesn't seem like the best idea."

_Next Chapter: Coercion_

_AN:_ _Thanks to Noblebea and Unapologetically Bombastic for helping me with my new chapter!_ _And please remember, reviews are love, and no one can have too much love!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Year Four- Chapter 11- Coersion_

Theta stared, wide eyed, at the gate in front of him. The ancient metal was intertwined in complicated patterns. Some of the rust was beginning to show, but that just added to the rustic appeal of it all. Beyond the huge gate stood a house that was at least three times bigger than Theta's. It stretched artfully in all directions, the sprawling epitome of Earth-styled architecture. After a few moments of blinking, Theta fixed the way his bag was hanging over his shoulder and looked back at Ushas and Koschei, who were arguing about something.

"This is your house?" Theta asked timidly. He had seen it before. Whenever he had passed by it with his father, Epsilon would point out that it was a shame to ruin Gallifrey with another planet's idea of art. But Theta loved the look of it, regardless. He put a hand on the metal in front of him as Koschei came closer.

"Yep," he said, opening the gate. Theta stepped to the side and let Ushas walk onto the property first. She looked at some of the flowers growing along the walkway.

"They're drying…" she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, my parents have been a little too busy to water flowers," Koschei countered, motioning for Theta to shut the gate behind them. The smaller boy pulled at it, and, when it snapped shut with a loud crash, Theta jumped. "Don't worry," the older boy encouraged, "it does that all the time. Come on." Ushas was already at the front door, looking back to the two.

"Are they home?" she asked. Koschei nodded. At that, she knocked and stepped back. By the time Theta and Koschei had reached the door, it swung open to reveal Mekail dressed in simple Earth-clothes. He smiled at the children invitingly.

"Hello!" he greeted. He held a hand out to Theta. "I believe we've never really met." Theta took his hand and shook it quietly. Mekail then smiled to Ushas. "It's nice to see you," he said, patting her shoulder. Koschei edged his way in the door, past his father, so his friends could get through. "I thought you said that only Ushas would be coming."

"Koschei… convinced me to come." Theta admitted. Koschei smiled.

"Yep! So, Ushas, you can have the room you usually take unless you want another one…"

"I can sleep on the couch," Theta offered. All three of the others looked at him in surprise.

"No, you're a guest," Mekail said, motioning to the stairway ahead of them.

"Theta, they've got more rooms than a hotel," Ushas supplemented. Koschei nodded at both statements and grabbed Theta's shoulders from behind.

"Come on, let's go find you somewhere to stay," he offered to the younger boy. Theta was led down several halls, each of which seemed to contain more and more strange things. There were photographs and paintings from all over the universe, along with sculptures. For a minute, the endless maze continued, but Koschei soon stopped. He opened a door. "This is my room," he said. Theta wasn't surprised to see that it was as messy as their dorm room had been when he first moved in.  
>"I think I'm going to get lost…" Theta said, mostly to himself. Koschei overheard the comment and smiled.<p>

"That's why you can have the room across from mine. That way you can shadow me until you get used to it. Trust me; it's not all that confusing." He gave a reassuring smile and walked over to the door that was a little bit further down the hall on the opposite wall from Koschei's room. "So, it's a little small, but it's bigger than the room, at the Academy, so I think you won't mind." As the older boy opened the door, Theta's eyes widened. It was definitely bigger than his room at his house. He was beginning to feel that he didn't belong in the house at all. It was all so foreign, the luxury, the space, the opportunities, the freedom. And it was all so overwhelming. "So you can just set your stuff down… And we can get something to eat. Or you could swim or something."

"Where'll Ushas be?" Theta asked quietly.

"In one of the studies, trying to find more information about science or something. She always heads there first. And doesn't really come out for much of the rest of the time, either. So what do you want to do?" Theta gave the intelligent answer of a blink and a small glance around. "Are you usually this indecisive?" Koschei asked. Theta shook his head.

"It's just… I don't belong here." Koschei rolled his eyes and grabbed Theta by his sleeve, dragging him through the hallways silently. Eventually, after several turns and multiple openings of doors, Koschei stopped in front of another door. He knocked on it and waited. After a moment, the door opened. The Protector stood in the door with a broad smile.

"Theta-Sigma, is it?" she asked. Theta gave a quick nod. "It's nice to meet you!" She turned to her son. "Was there a reason that you came up here?" Koschei nodded.

"Yeah. Theta keeps saying that he doesn't belong here, and it was annoying me."

"I only said it once," Theta argued weakly. Patience shook her head and stepped out of the room. "And I don't… My father doesn't like your family… And I'm lying to him… And…" He hoped that maybe she would send him home. After all, he had lied to his father, and now she knew. She had to do something, surely.

"Theta-Sigma, your father is very strict. Sometimes, I think that he doesn't quite know what actually is the right way to raise a child. So, please, stay. Enjoy your time here. And if Koschei starts to get annoying, just get Ushas. I'm sure she'll set him straight. Okay?" The young boy looked to Koschei before looked back to the Protector.

"It's okay that I stay?" He felt silly for asking such a question. Regardless, though, he felt like he didn't deserve such a good friend or such a nice place to stay. Callia beamed at Theta.

"Of course!" she insisted. Theta gave her a smile back. She was so nice that it was hard not to simply agree with her. "And, Koschei, behave yourself," she reminded as they walked away. Koschei turned around and frowned.

"I'm fourteen, Mother, I can handle myself," he informed her before continuing down the hallway. "So," he said to Theta once they were out of earshot, "now that you've been set straight, what do you want to do?" After a moment of consideration, Theta thought of something.

"Can we run? Ushas said you liked to, that you always used to be faster than her..." Koschei nodded.

"Sure, if you really want to. We have a garden in the back that we can run in." He led the younger boy through the maze of hallways until they were outside. Theta was beginning to get the feel of the house. It was a in a shape of a rectangle, with additions extending towards the back of the large property. The massive amount of land didn't surprise him. His father had mentioned something about the Guardian's family being one of the oldest and most revered families in Northern Gallifrey. Of course, he then promptly called the Protector a whore and defamed the entire family.

"Wow," Theta murmured when he looked around the open path in front of him. On either side, there were tall, silver-leafed trees and small bushes set to layout the paths through the yard. Theta would hardly have called it a yard, though. It was more of a small park. Koschei smiled to Theta.

"So, do you think you're faster than me?" Theta shrugged.

"I'm pretty fast." He may not have had much confidence in himself, but over the years, he had become adept at running as fast as he could to avoid the wrath of his father, and that had made him faster than anyone he had compared himself to. Koschei raised his eyebrows and nodded challengingly.

"Okay. Try to keep up," he challenged, taking off quickly. Theta closed his mouth and followed, kicking up dust behind his heels. He immediately found that Ushas wasn't kidding. Koschei was already a ways ahead, legs moving as fast as Theta's, and most likely a bit faster. Theta clenched his hands into fists and concentrated further. He brought back the memory of the first time he ran.

His father was yelling at him, calling him a failure. He was seven years old. After an hour of verbal abuse, he turned tail and fled out of his room, out of the house, as fast as he could. His father was yelling after him, his threats of violence more real than ever before. But Theta didn't care. He took off down the streets, dodging other Time Lords and assorted obstacles.

He didn't get far. A block from the house, his father cut him off and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Epsilon had dragged his son back to the house silently. Theta knew that he was going to regret it, but he could still feel the freedom flowing through his veins. For once, he had been free from his father's grasp.

Theta smiled grimly with newfound energy. He was free from his father when he was running. Nothing could stop him if he wanted to continue. He would not be under someone else's control. He would not lose. He kicked his heels back into the Earth and caught up to Koschei with a victorious smile. Both of them were sucking in air as quickly as they possibly could, but neither cared. Neither one planned on losing.

"Nice," Koschei complimented in a rush. "But I'm not even near at my fastest yet." At that, he sped up further. Theta slowed for a moment, surprised. But then, he wasn't going as fast as he could. He could still do it. He could run away from his father.

The fifth time he ran, his father had called the twins into his room. He informed Theta that he could never be as good as them, that he was incompetent, weak, and useless. Theta had stood there, trying to take it as stoically as possible, but he began to feel a familiar itch in his body. He had to run. He had to get away from the man who was feeding him lies. He pushed past the younger of the twins, Zeta, and barrelled down the stairs, knocking over his mother as he shot out the stairs. He knew that Epsilon always caught him, but this time, he was determined to not be trapped. He took alleys that no one ever travelled in. He ran through the main plaza of the Citadel. He ran until he reached a part of town he didn't know. He slowed to a walk and looked around. His father was nowhere to be seen. He was free. He paused for a long moment and suddenly, laughter bubbled up from inside of him. He gasped in air and laughed hysterically. His father was far behind him.

Theta forced his legs to pump faster. If he had freedom, he was going to make the most of it. Again, he caught up to Koschei a grim expression etched into his features. His muscles were screaming for him to stop; they wanted to quit, but Theta knew that quitting wasn't an option. It never had been.

Koschei knew that Theta was good as soon as he matched his pace the first time. Now, he was just impressed. He stopped quickly, taking in deep breaths and trying to not look too out of shape. He hadn't run like that in the longest time. It felt good, but the burning in his legs and chest informed him that he had fallen out of shape. Theta noticed the older boy's sudden change of pace and stopped as well.

"Nice," Koschei complimented, putting his hands on his knees. Theta took a deep breath and smiled.

"You're fast," he said, almost reverently. Koschei shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're in shape. Breathe heavily," he demanded. "You're making me feel fat." Theta smiled and shook his head.

"No, my father makes us run around the house every morning. I just get a lot of practice. And you don't, and you're still good. If I stopped running every morning, I'd probably be in worse shape than you are." Koschei took another few deep breaths and straightened up. He put an arm around Theta's shoulders, grinning madly.

"You're a good kid, Thete," he said. He paused when he realised what he'd said. "Eh, sorry about that." He backtracked immediately. Theta blinked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Um… it's fine."

"You sure? You look confused." Theta shrugged.

"I guess I've never had a real nickname before."

"Well, you're nickname's Theta, right?" Koschei asked. Again, Theta gave another shrug.

"Not really. Theta is my name. It's not a nickname." Koschei grinned and then began to lead Theta back to the house.

"Well, then, I think that I just gave you your first nickname."

_Next Chapter: My Soul, My Hate_

_AN:_ Thanks to Unapologetically Bombastic for editing and for NobleBea for keeping me from rage-quitting on this chapter because it actually turned out to be really cute!__


	12. Chapter 12

_Year Four- Chapter 12- My Soul, My Hate_

_The silver leaves had already dropped to the ground and had begun to grow back before Gallifrey noticed the tensions rising on their borders. It was as though the peace was thawing with the snow and even the most ignorant felt a stirring in the collective consciousness of the Time Lords. It was an itch. An itch for change. _

Theta walked down the plaza, sketchbook in hand. The rest of the Deca looked similarly- heads bent down, pens to paper, sketching madly, all of them learning that they were not particularly cut out for artistry. Koschei looked up at a nearby building, trying to copy it down as best as he could. After another failed attempt, he muttered something incoherent and turned to Ushas.

"This is ridiculous."

"Damn right," she agreed wholeheartedly and then looked to the small house she had been trying to replicate. "I don't understand why we have to take engineering and design anyway. It should be a specialised course, if anything." Theta looked at Drax's paper and raised an eyebrow.

"Fire?" he asked, amused. Drax nodded and pointed to the government building he was using as a reference.

"It would be more interesting if it were on fire," he said before going back to his picture and adding more flames and sparks to the drawing. Theta shook his head with a small smile and looked at his. He was trying to draw his house from memory, since it represented old Gallifrey. He was planning on using Koschei's house to represent new Gallifrey. He also had to find something that reminded him of change. After a while of deliberation, he determined that the change was going to come from the new generation, from the Academy.

"Where are you doing for change?" Rallon asked Theta, trying to hide his unrecognisable drawing under his arm with a wide smile.

"I want to do the Academy. I mean, we're going to be the new change, right? I think I'll do our dorm block…" Rallon smiled and motioned down the road ahead of them.

"I want to do the Southern Embassy. The building's older than anything around it, and it was been built in the style of the old south. I've heard that they even had Southerners build it. But with all of the changing stuff around it… I think it can count as change." Theta was surprised at the thought of the Southerners only allowing their own kin to work in the large building he had only ever heard of. It was dangerous enough to be a lone Southerner in the north. Being a large group simply made them an easy target for attacks. "My mum took me there to see it while it was being renovated a while ago…" Koschei walked over and grabbed Theta's paper.

"Damn," he said, handing it back. "Mine looks like shit next to yours." When Theta glanced at the older boy's, he realised that it wasn't just a joke, he was serious. The sketch was lopsided, and all of the lines were crooked and unsteady. At least Theta's actually looked like a building. Theta smiled encouragingly and shrugged.

"I've spent a lot of time alone in my room. I got used to stuff like this." He was aware that his art was still mediocre to most, but it still made him smile to think that Koschei would actually admit defeat to someone.

"Millennia!" Rallon called as he walked down the street. The blonde turned to him with a smile set her book down on the bench she had been sitting on. He walked over and helped her to her feet. She took his hand into her own.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We need to keep moving. I'm sorry to tell you, lass, but it's not improving." Millennia looked down at her paper with a small frown. She had tried to erase lines, fix them, move them, but nothing seemed to make it so that the front door looked proportionate to the rest of the structure. She looked ahead and frowned further.

"It seems really busy at the embassy today. Maybe we should just come again sometime soon…" Rallon would have agreed, but his curiosity was already peaked, and he wasn't about it simply turn back now. Koschei saw the mass of bodies huddled around the gates into the embassy with raised eyebrows.

"My father said nothing about new information. Whatever they're here for, it's just happened," he deduced, looking to Magnus for a correction. When the boy said nothing, Koschei began to lead the group closer to the silent mob.

The first thing Theta noticed was their skin colour. Many of them had an olive tone to their skin, or were a little lighter. Also, dark hair was the dominant feature that was easily visible from the distance away the Deca was. Also, there was an eerie silence that enveloped the entire street. There were at least one hundred men and women simply standing there silently.

"We should head back to the Academy. Something's wrong here," Magnus noted in his usual quiet manner. Theta nodded carefully, noting that a few of the group were looking over at them. Koschei frowned.

"My father needs to know what's happening and why," he said, determinedly. "You all should go. I'll just talk to someone and get some information." Ushas raised her eyebrows sceptically.

"What are you, stupid?" she demanded. "If they're not happy about the Northerners, they're not going to care that Mekail's trying to help them, you'll just make things worse." She grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "We're leaving. Right now. Before anything bad happens." The rest of the Deca nodded and began to walk away quickly.

Before they got far, however, they ran into a small group of Northerners standing tensely and looked down the street. Ushas frowned as she looked at them more closely. They were not wearing robes, but what looked like casual renditions of the military uniforms of the North.

"Theta, do they look like civilians to you?" she asked quietly. Theta glanced at them and, after a moment of consideration, shook his head. "Yeah, that was what I thought." Koschei shook his head.

"I want to know what's going on. It's like they're waiting for something…" Koschei said with a frown. Magnus nodded to himself, running over war tactics in his head.

"A signal," he said to himself. The rest of the Deca turned to him. He nodded to reaffirm his statement. Millennia stiffed and looked over her shoulder quickly.

"Guys, I left my work over there," she whispered. Magnus frowned and looked back. Rallon glanced at the rest of the Deca.

"You all head back to the Academy. I'll grab it and meet you there." If there was a fight, he was the most likely to have the least trouble. He was taller, larger, and stronger than the rest of the Deca, and they all knew it.

"You're not going alone," Koschei demanded. Magnus looked to Koschei with a solemn expression.

"You just want to know what's going on," he accused, but then looked to Millennia. "We would be safer if we went as a group and hurried out." Ushas nodded, turning around and picking up her pace. Theta noticed the obvious anticipation that hung in the air. Something bad going to happen and everyone knew it. Millennia saw her book on the bench and grabbed it quickly. Suddenly, a shot rang in the air.

The Southerners who had been standing silently were suddenly converged upon by suspicious and nervous Northerners. Shouts filled the air instantly and, as the Southerners began to spread out, Rallon grabbed Millennia and pulled her to him. More Northerners came out of the nearby buildings and clashed with the others, creating a sudden tornado of chaos.

Theta was instantly lost in the fighting, the only other member of the Deca he could even spot was Koschei, but he was busy trying to keep Ushas and Drax together. As Theta tried to manoeuvre his way through the mass of bodies and fists being thrown about, he managed to be sucked into the worst of it. A tall Southerner was on the ground, straddling a Northern, and was punching the man below him. His hands were dripping with blood. Theta stumbled back, eyes wide in horror as the Northerner stopped moving. Another man saw the death and tackled the taller man, knocking Theta over in the process. He struggled to his feet and spotted a small girl clinging to the gate, an older Northerner had his hands at her throat. Without thinking, Theta grabbed the considerably taller man and spun him around as best as he could. The girl ducked down and away from her assailant. Theta used a method his father often used on him- he grabbed the man's head as best as he could and wrenched it downward before grabbing his arm. Theta wrapped it behind the man's back and kicked the back of his knees, glad for once that his father was in the military and had a temper. He helped the girl to her feet. She had long, light brown hair and darker skin, like the rest of her people. She gave him a thankful nod, but her grateful smile quickly turned into a frown. She pulled Theta to her as, out of nowhere, a rock whizzed by where he had been standing.

"Thanks," Theta said. The girl signed something to him with her hands. It took Theta a moment to register that it wasn't that she didn't want to talk, it was that she couldn't. He grabbed her by the shoulder tightly as soon as he spotted Rallon beating another man who was trying to get to Millennia. He led her over to Rallon, trying to keep her away from any other Northerners who would want to attack her. Theta assumed that she was approximately his age, but she was so much smaller than him that she almost could have passed for a first- year. Rallon punched the man across from him in the nose and then shoved him back into the crowd.

"Theta!" he roared over the crowd. Millennia was behind him, holding a length of wood determinedly. She nodded grimly to Theta. "We need to get the hell out of here!" Theta nodded and looked to the small girl behind him. Her blue eyes were shifting around nervously and she was shaking. Theta assumed that she was starting to go into shock after being strangled. He put a hand on her shoulder and noticed Rallon's somewhat-curious glance.

"A man was trying to kill her."

"They're trying to kill us," Rallon muttered, watching among the crowd carefully for any other members of the Deca who might need help. Suddenly, someone put a hand on the small girl's shoulder. She was a tall Southerner with jet black hair and light olive skin. She looked at the Northern boys in front of her and nodded to them. She pulled a gun out of her pocket and nodded to the small girl.

"I was ordered to get you out of here, Ennaila," The girl signed something quickly and the older woman looked to Theta.

"Thank you, Northerner," she said with a small nod, leading the girl to the side of the street. Within seconds, Theta lost sight of them. A woman launched herself and Rallon's back and Millennia swung her wooden 2x4 at her head. There was a sickening crack as the woman fell to the ground, unmoving. Millennia stiffened and bent down. She put her fingers to the woman's neck and quickly felt for a pulse. After several seconds, she sighed with relief and stood up. Rallon grabbed her hand with his own blood-covered one and began to pull her towards the Academy. Theta followed closely behind them, still looking for other members of the Deca.

When he felt a hand on the back of his neck, he stiffened. He wheeled around, his hand fisted. The boy behind him ducked.

"Fuck!" he yelled, grabbing Theta's arm and holding it. Theta looked back at Koschei and frowned.

"Sorry!" he apologised quickly. Behind Koschei, Magnus was fighting a Northerner, oddly enough. The older man tried to punch the boy, but Magnus ducked to the side, grabbed his neck, wrenched it to the side and forced the man on his knees. He kicked the man in the back and then slammed his head into the ground before catching back up to the others.

Noticing Millennia's look of horror, Magnus supplied, "He attacked me first." Koschei turned to Theta and grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Okay, let's head out," he said. "Ushas and Drax are already out and Jelpax and Vansell are back at the Academy. Apparently, they're on lockdown," he informed. Theta looked to Magnus and then back to his roommate.

"And Mortimus?" Koschei shrugged and was about to suggest they leave him when Rallon stopped.

"Sodding hell!" he swore, pivoting back to the majority of the fight. "Mortimus!" the boy roared, trying to find him, looking frantically through the crowd. "Feckin' kid," he hissed, pushing through the small fights around them to find the boy. Millennia dove in after him, her wooden 2x4 ready and swinging. Magnus looked to Koschei.

"If you find him, go back to the Academy. If you hear a whistle, I've found him and head back. We'll meet there." Koschei gave a tense nod and the other boy shot off into the tumult around them. Theta looked around, his thoughts cold and quick.

"We should get to a roof and find him."

"But by the time we got after him, he'd be gone," Koschei argued. Theta let out a hiss of a breath, trying to think of another viable plan. "Let's go to the right. The others will probably circle around and we'll meet up with them to see if they've found him." He said, heading off. Theta followed, his hands balled into fist. Koschei looked at the blood slicking the streets, listening to the chaos of guns going off and rocks being thrown, bones being broken, and knew that the war had only just begun.

_Next Chapter: Voices of the Unheard_

_AN: I spent hours researching the Egyptian and Syrian riots to try to get a grasp on the emotions and actions in riots. I think I got it pretty down, but if you have any suggestions, let me know! Also, the rating has changed to T because the violence in this chapter and the violence to come.(The next chapter title is taken from a quote from Martin Luther King Jr, "Riots are the voices of the unheard.")_


	13. Chapter 13

_Year Four- Chapter 13- Voices of the Unheard_

As smoke filled the air, Koschei turned to Theta. "We've gotta get out of here," he said, grabbing Theta's arm and looking at the roaring crowd around them. Theta nodded and tried to suck in more air, only to get a lungful of the newly released gas. The military had arrived to stop the fighting.

"Did you hear Magnus' whistle?" Theta asked as they began dodging the people running away from the source of the fumes.

"If he did whistle, there's no way we would have heard it," Koschei noted and avoided a small child running by. In front of them, a canister hit the ground and exploded, spouting gas everywhere. The two boys reeled backward, trying to avoid the brunt of the small blast. Theta pulled in a sharp breath as a stray piece of metal from the canister cut his arm open. He immediately used his other hand to cover the wound, shielding it. Koschei turned to the younger boy, blood dripping from a cut on his cheek.

"We have to go," he said as he heard more gunshots and the sound of screaming. The two boys stuck together closely as they pushed others aside, trying to get free of the roiling horde of panicking people. They had to move quickly. As the smoke rose from the ground around them and into the air, both boys were struggling to breathe. Koschei glanced backward, trying to find the younger boy and make sure that he was still following him. When Theta was nowhere to be found, Koschei stopped running and wheeled around, trying to look past the people running around him for the smaller boy.

"Theta!" he called, pivoting around and trying to find him. Not for the first time, he cursed Mortimus and his ability to disappear, and he cursed Rallon for actually caring about the psychopath. "Thete!"

"Koschei?" a voice called from what seemed to be a ways away. Koschei ran toward the call, barrelling through a sudden wave of people. They were all yelling, screaming, and hurrying to get away from something. At that point, Koschei gave up caring about his own safety as he shoved against the flow of horrified Time Lords.

"Theta!" he yelled again. A small path cleared in front of him and he finally saw the younger boy being held by his arm by a man in a red and orange uniform. He was wearing the badge of the President's Own, an elite corps of police militia men. Suddenly, Koschei felt his arm being wrenched behind his back as well, and metal was placed around his wrists. He looked to the other boy, confused. It took them a moment to understand their situation; they were being arrested. The policemen tossed them behind their barricade line. Koschei landed on the ground roughly, pulling his shoulder to an odd angle. Theta hissed as his head hit the hard street below him. After lying there for a moment, they were hauled to their feet by another set of police officers.

"We're just students," Koschei tried to reason, only to be hit over the head by a baton wielded by the officer. The two were moved to a long line of others who had been arrested; the line consisted mostly of Southerners and a few ragged looking Northerners. Theta glanced down the long line, but found none of the Deca. Koschei, one the other hand, was preoccupied by what was on the other side of the street. There were bodies, unmoving and blood-covered. "Shit." Theta followed Koschei's gaze. When he saw the bodies, he froze.

"Rassilon," he whispered.

A young woman was walking down the line of prisoners rapidly and disinterestedly. She obviously worked for the government. Her long hair was tightly pulled back and her red skirt was hemmed to show only the slightest glimpses of her feet- a very modest a cut. She looked at every Southerner in the line with disgust. Koschei had noticed that most of the Northerners she stopped in front of were simply let free without a question, but the Southerners were forced to the knees and handed a slip of paper. When she came to Theta and Koschei, she raised an eyebrow.

"Names," she said, pulling out a new slip of paper.

"Theta Mekail and Koschei Mekail," the older boy lied quickly. He knew that his father would get them out of any trouble, and he also knew that he didn't want Theta's father informed of the incident.

"Brothers," she noted, almost stating it like a question. Koschei nodded.

"Who should I notify of your arrest?" she asked, jotting something down on the paper.

"Mekail Nickolas," Koschei said, trying to ignore Theta's unease and obvious anxiety at the lie. She smirked at the boys and then dropped the paper in Theta's lap after they were forced to the ground by men behind them.

"Give my regards to the Guardian," she said tauntingly before walking to the next person in line. Koschei quickly scanned across the circles and shapes on the paper. It read,

_Crime(s): disloyalty to Gallifrey, causing civil unrest, treason _

_Contact: Mekail Nicholas, member of the high council. _

Koschei let out a hiss of a breath and looked to Theta. "Why did you lie?" Theta demanded.

"Do you want your dad to know about what happened? I don't think so. Besides, my father has connections; he can get us out of this with no issue. And that means both me and you, if they think that you're my brother." Theta frowned and looked at the ground. "It's not like it's that much of a lie, right? My father likes you; we've roomed together so long now that it feels like we're brothers."

"It's only been seven months…" Theta reminded quietly. "And what if they find out? Do you know how much trouble I'll be in?" Koschei shrugged.

"Again, this is where I remind you that you need to learn the often-underestimated skill of lying." To that, Theta had no response. He simply looked away and tried to move his arms so they didn't lose more feeling than they already had. After waiting for a while, another woman came by. She had a device in her hand that Koschei recognised as Earth technology. It was something called a radio. She was listing off names as she went down the line. When she stopped in front of the boys, she blinked and raised an eyebrow. She picked up the paper from Theta's lap and shook her head. Into the radio, she said,

"Sons of Mekail Nickolas." At that, she continued onward. Theta looked down at the cut on his arm. It was starting to throb. His father was going to kill him for staining his second Academy uniform. On the other hand, Koschei looked just as bad. He had blood running down his face, and his arms were covered in a brown-red dust, glued in place by dried blood. Theta shook his head again and sighed.

"We are in so much trouble," he whispered. Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Have some faith in me, would you?" Before Theta could retort, he saw a familiar figure walking towards them. It was Mekail. Koschei quickly sat up straighter and pulled a more serious look onto his face.

"Koschei, you are in so much trouble," Mekail murmured quietly as he walked over. He was already receiving taunting looks from the Northerners sitting nearby. Koschei nodded. "Okay, sons," he addressed softly, changing his tone to his typical, calm demeanour.

"Thank you," Theta whispered so that only the politician could hear. Mekail nodded to him with a small, reassuring smile. With that, Mekail helped the boys to their feet and walked up to the nearest government official.

"I am taking these boys back home," he said, his authority obvious in the manner he spoke. Regardless of the tone, though, young man looked at him unamusedly.

"They are to be cited for their crimes against Gallifrey…" Mekail cut him off with a dangerous smile. He handed the man a paper with his seal on it.

"Give this to your supervisor, the Delligen. Tell her that they are to be cleared of all charges, or I will not hesitate to bring it to the council's attention that she oversaw the illegal release of her husband from prison. Understood?" The young Time-Lord gave a grudging nod and unlocked the metal handcuffs from around the boys' wrists. Mekail gave the man a smile and walked away, the two boys following behind him closely. "May I have an explanation?" he asked, too steadily for the situation.

"We were trying to do a project with architecture… And the riot broke out," Koschei explained.

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't know the signs of unrest when they're right in front of you? Or were you being intentionally dense?" Koschei pursed his lips.

"The latter," he admitted, "but we did get out before the fighting… It was just that Millennia forgot something… And then Mortimus disappeared, and we all tried to find him." Mekail looked to Theta, who was nodding his agreement.

"We will talk about this further after the two of you clean up," he said, walking off of the main street and heading onto a smaller one. Koschei knew it was a short-cut to the back of their house. "The Academy is still on lock-down, and no one is being allowed on or off the campus, I've been informed, so you two will have to stay at the house and then leave early tomorrow morning for your classes." Both boys nodded quickly. Theta had to admit that this 'lecture' was much better than the way his father informed him of his displeasure. There were no bruises involved, this way, just a nagging feel of disappointment.

"Thank you," Theta said softly. Mekail smiled to him.

"This is no problem. Just don't do something stupid like that again." Eagerly, Theta nodded. Koschei, on the other hand, was about to argue that they hadn't _tried _to get into trouble, before he was cut off by the sight of his mother waiting for him. He immediately braced himself for her wrath.

"Koschei Mekail," she called sternly as the three approached her. "You are the stupidest child I have ever heard of!" At that, she wrapped her arms around him and sighed. "You could have gotten yourself killed." For a moment, Theta saw the true panic in her eyes. The young boy felt a pang of sorrow. His family would not have cared if he had died. They might have even been relieved. Theta ducked his gaze to the ground and tried to ignore the jealousy was beginning to feel.

Mekail put a hand on Theta's shoulder. "Thank you," he said. "For keeping Koschei safe. And not getting yourself killed. We need someone who can actually keep Koschei in line, and so far, you're the only one who's managed it." Theta gave him a thin smile. There was a moment before Callia put an arm around him as well as her own son. He tried to hide his shock at the contact.

"Yes," she agreed wholeheartedly.

"Ma'am, you're getting my blood on your shirt," Theta informed quietly, afraid of her retribution. Callia smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine. You can never really see blood on red," she joked softly. She grabbed the boys' shoulders and began to guide them towards the house. "Now, I'm going to patch you two up, you're getting showers, eating, and then going to bed. Agreed?" Both Koschei and Theta nodded, not daring nor wanting to disagree. Mekail chuckled. When they entered the house through the back, Theta was pleasantly surprised to find that he could navigate the hallways. He had only been to Koschei's house a dozen times or so, but he was beginning to understand the layout, creating a functional map in his mind.

Callia sat the two boys down in the living room and came back with several salves and bandages. She started with Theta's arm first.

"What happened?" she asked as she cleaned the area with water. Theta winced and watched as the clotted blood came loose from the wound.

"Shrapnel from a gas canister," Koschei supplied. His mother raised her eyebrows and then looked to Mekail, who was shaking his head.

"How bad was it?" he asked the two, obviously deep in thought.

"Not pretty," Koschei noted.

"A Northerner was trying to strangle a Southern girl smaller than me," Theta said quietly. "And the pile of the bodies by the side of the road…" Mekail looked to his wife and then his son.

"I'm calling an emergency council meeting." He kissed his wife's forehead and then gave Koschei a quick hug. He patted Theta's shoulder gently and then walked to the door. "I should see you later tonight," he informed before walking out quickly. Callia frowned and began to wrap Theta's arm. Once that was done, she smiled vaguely to him.

"You know where the bathroom is, right?" Theta nodded. He knew where one of them was, at least. "Why don't you wash up and then come back here when you're ready for dinner?" Again, the boy nodded. He got up and walked down the empty, eerie hallways until he reached the location of the only bathroom he knew existed in the house; it was near the bedroom he had stayed in once before. He opened the door to hear Koschei cursing loudly and his mother rebuking him. With a small, sad smile to himself at their differences, Theta walked into the bathroom and began to peel himself out of the torn and dirty clothes. There was a knock on the door.

"Theta, I'm leaving a pair of Koschei's smaller clothes by the door. If you toss out your uniform, I'll wash it." Theta wrapped a towel around himself modestly and tossed the clothes out before grabbing the new set.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. He could hear the smile in Callia's voice as she said,

"It's nothing." At that, she left with the blood-stained and somewhat ragged clothes. With a frown, she examined them. Koschei walked past her, handing her his shirt.

"Please wash this, too." She smiled and added it to her collection. Callia walked into the living room and then took several different hallways until she reached a small, closet-like room. She put the clothes into a box-shaped machine and set a timer on it. After that was done, she headed to the kitchen and began preparing a dinner. It wasn't long before Theta walked in and offered to help her cook.

"Don't worry about it, you can just sit down and enjoy yourself." Stiffly, he sat down at the table and began to tap his foot against the floor. He wasn't used to not having to do anything. Callia heard the noise and turned around. "If you really want to help…" Theta perked up quickly. "You can help me cut and clean the fruit." Theta shot up from his chair and grabbed the ovular fruit from her hand. She handed him a small knife and began to explain how to slice it open correctly.

When Koschei walked in, he was surprised to see his normally reserved and morose roommate laughing along with his mother. Theta was covered juice and was rubbing some of it from his face and Callia was trying to pick up piece of fruit from the floor. A small smile slipped onto his face as he watched the scene. _At least Theta has a home somewhere_, he thought to himself before joining in to help with the clean-up.

_Next Chapter: Below the Surface_

_AN: Thank you for hanging in there and reading this far in! I hope you enjoy what I have in store!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Year Four- Chapter Fourteen- Below the Surface_

Rallon walked onto the school campus nervously. He had heard nothing from Mortimus since he had disappeared into the mob. Apparently there were over one hundred dead, or so Koschei had said. Rallon trusted Koschei's statistics. He had never been wrong before. Millennia felt Rallon tense up and she gently squeezed his hand.

"He's fine," she reassured. Rallon shook his head slowly.

"I'm supposed to watch out for him. His mother trusts me…" Millennia already knew all the details. They had grown up next to each other. Mortimus' mother always put him in Rallon's hands, since they were young. And Rallon took the responsibility very seriously.

"But she also knows that he has a mind of his own. If he runs off, it's not your fault." Rallon frowned and continued toward the dormitory in silence. He still blamed himself. By the time they reached the Western Dorms, Rallon was panicking.

"If he's dead, I will never forgive myself," he said to himself. "I'm supposed to make sure this sort of thing never happens. And I just let him go off on his own. She'll never forgive me." Millennia sighed. Rallon opened the door to the dorm building and held it open for Millennia, not forgetting his manners in spite of his panic. They walked down the hall and up a flight of stairs, to the room Rallon shared with Mortimus. "Maybe we can start a search for him if we can organise one. I just have to get my message box…" Millennia walked silently beside him, his nervousness rubbing off on her. He ripped open the door and was about to rifle around rapidly for his message box when he saw a familiar head of black hair.

Mortimus looked up from his book with a disinterested sigh.

"Must you be so loud?" he demanded. Rallon stopped moving and just stared. It took him a moment to regain the ability to speak.

"Mortimus?" The other boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?" With that he went back to his book and flipped a page. Rallon shook his head, as if the movement would make his thoughts more clear.

"Where were you?" he managed. Millennia walked in and looked at Mortimus; she was growing more and more furious with him with every passing minute. The boy showed no signs to caring that they had been panicked.

"Here. As soon as the violence broke out, I left." Rallon paused.

"We went back in to look for you!"

"How heroic," Mortimus sneered. "I could have handled myself, had I been so stupid, as you were, to get stuck in the fighting." Rallon took a step closer, growing more and more furious by the moment.

"Mortimus, Magnus broke his wrist because we went back for you." Mortimus faked horror and quickly let his expression drop back to his disdainful glare. "Millennia broke her ankle!" Mortimus looked at her feet.

"She seems fine. May I continue reading, now? I have to have this book read before next class…" Rallon snarled incoherently.

"Because I carried her to the medics! And Koschei and Theta got arrested because of you!" Mortimus scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Because of me? Did I make you waltz back into a mob of furious peasants? I think not. Besides, Koschei and Theta probably deserved it. Neither of them are exactly…" Mortimus trailed off as Rallon grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"We went back for you, and you just left us," he said slowly.

"Are you having issues speaking? Did I do that to you, too?" Before he knew what he was doing, Rallon raised his fist and punched Mortimus on the face. Immediately, the smaller boy shrieked and writhed about. Rallon threw him to the ground, shocked at his own anger. Millennia stepped forward and helped Mortimus to his feet. "Don't touch me!" he squeaked as he scrambled to his feet.

"I'm sorry," Rallon said, still surprised at himself. "I didn't mean to do that… It just happened…" Millennia looked at Mortimus, who was obsessively brushing himself off, and sighed.

"I'm telling my mother! She'll demand I get a new roommate!"

"She'll tell you that you deserved it." Rallon calmly walked back to the door, shaking his hand out. Millennia was already out in the hallway, waiting. "I'll come back later…" he said, shutting the door. Millennia smiled to him slightly.

"It'll be okay," she comforted. Rallon nodded, not quite looking at her.

"Do you think that Theta and Koschei are okay?" Millennia shrugged and looked down the hallway.

"We could go to their room and see if anyone's there." The two walked down the hallway in silence, each taking a moment to think. As the two were walking down the stairs to the first floor, a message box flew up to them and hovered in the air, just at Rallon's eye-level. He grabbed it and frowned at the message. "What is it?"

"Borusa wants to see all of us. And I don't think that he's going to be all that happy, either." Millennia gave a small nod and continued climbing down the stairs. They walked out of the building quietly, looking for other members of the Deca reporting to their teacher.

"Hey," Ushas said from behind them. Millennia turned around, and was shocked to see that Ushas had a large gash on her forehead. It had scabbed over and the skin around it looked pink and irritated. "Cool? Yes? No? Maybe?" Millennia shook her head.

"It's definitely not pretty…" Ushas stuck her tongue out.

"I never said that pretty was the look that I was going for," she argued. Rallon nodded his approval to her when Millennia wasn't looking. Ushas smiled back to him and kept walking, ignoring Millennia's playfully inquisitive glance. The three continued, making small talk as they went. When they reached the library, it was almost shocking that it was empty. Not even the librarians were around. Tiptoeing carefully, the three walked up to Borusa's door and knocked. It was opened by Theta, who looked mildly nervous. Borusa wasn't inside the classroom.

"Are you okay? How did you get out of being arrested?" Rallon asked, stepping in. Theta gave a glance back to Koschei, who was sitting in his desk at the back of the room.

"The Guardian was contacted and helped us. We couldn't get back on campus, so he let me stay at their house…" Koschei rolled his eyes at Theta's incessant need to give too much information at too fast a pace for anyone to really hear it.

"Oh, the Guardian's always nice…" Millennia noted for him, trying to make the conversation easier. "I think he's helped us all out from time to time." Theta gave her a smile and then sat down next to Koschei. Ushas sat near the back as well.

"So, has Borusa come yet?" she asked.

"No," Koschei supplied. "We got here a while ago. And been sitting here this entire time. Haven't seen him." Theta nodded. Ushas looked at the blank board at the front of them room and then to Theta.

"Did Mekail yell at him?" Koschei whipped around to face Ushas with a glare.

"No," Theta said waveringly, looking to his roommate. Ushas stuck her tongue out at Koschei.

"Well, I was just curious. And you'd never answer me…" Before Ushas could say anything more, Vansell, Jelpax, and Magnus walked in. The three sat in their desks and looked around at the others. Magnus had his hand in a sling.

"Why didn't you go to the medics? They fixed my ankle in just a few minutes." Millennia looked to Magnus .The boy didn't turn around to make eye contact with her. Instead, he shrugged.

"My family does not believe in the technology of the medics," Magnus explained in his normal quiet and authoritative tone.

"Oh." Millennia looked at Rallon who shrugged. Subconsciously, Millennia began twisting her foot from side to side. Drax came in next, smelling heavily of bleach and smoke. Theta was going to ask what he was doing, but it seemed to be an explicit, unspoken rule of the Deca that they didn't ask questions like that unless it pertained to what was going on. Drax sat behind Magnus, obviously nervous. By the time Mortimus came in, every single member of the Deca was jumpy, including the stoic Magnus. When the door opened, everyone's posture stiffened and they sat up straighter. Mortimus sneered in everyone general direction and went to sit in the farthest corner of the room.

"Oh Rassilon we are in so much trouble…" Theta muttered, mostly to himself. No one challenged him.

"Maybe he doesn't know about what happened and this is about a fieldtrip," Millennia suggested. Ushas shook her head vehemently.

"After what happened on the last field trip? We're not going on another one until at least seventh year. And even then we'll probably be kept on leashes at all times." Jelpax looked out the window.

"I'm sure the medics reported Millennia's incident to him. He leaves instructions for us to always be closely supervised on campus." At that, no one seemed all that surprised.

"I th-" Rallon was cut off as the door opened. It seemed as though everyone in the room held their breath. Borusa walked in wearing simple Earth attire. He walked over to his desk after closing the door behind him. He put his hand on his forehead and looked at the class in front of him.

"Why," he asked softly, "is it always you ten?" The kids in front of him all stilled. "Because, I swear, you do it intentionally." He took his hand away from his face and pointed to the top of his head. "I'm getting grey hairs. And I didn't have them before you all came along." Theta looked down at his desk.

"Sorry, Borusa," he murmured. There were nods.

"So, will someone please tell me what happened that got two of arrested, two of you broken bones, and made Rallon punch Mortimus." Koschei turned to Rallon quickly and gave him a small thumbs-up. "And I saw that, Koschei Mekail," Koschei gave a small and apologetic shrug and looked back to Borusa.

"Well, we were working on our study on the architecture of Gallifrey. And we wanted to use the Southern embassy…." Theta started, looking to the others to continue or help him explain.

"And we knew something bad was going to happen, so we left," Koschei added. "And then one of us left a notebook and by the time we got it, the fighting broke out." Millennia blushed a bright red, but was thankful that Koschei hadn't blamed her.

"And then we got most of us out, but we couldn't find Mortimus," Rallon stated. "So Koschei, Theta, Magnus, Millennia, and I went into the mob to find him. We all kind of got separated and Millennia broke her ankle trying to keep a little kid away from an angry Southerner. And then Magnus broke his wrist fending people off. And Koschei and Theta got arrested because they got too close to the police barricade…" Theta and Koschei exchanged a small smile and then looked back to Borusa.

"And Rallon punched Mortimus because…?"

"We tried everywhere to find him and we thought he was dead. As soon as campus opened, we came back on and we found Mortimus in their room reading. And he… was… well… and arse." Mortimus shot Millennia a glare that would have terrified anyone who didn't know him.

"And so I ended up punching him…" Rallon admitted. He looked to his roommate. "And I'm very sorry. I really am. I just wish you could have… I don't know… Acted like you cared." Borusa tapped his fingers against his desk and looked over again. They were the epitome of guilt. They all were avoiding his gaze and fiddling with something or another. Borusa took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

"I'm going to reiterate- why is it always you ten?" Koschei gave a small smile and looked to the teacher.

"Because you encourage curiosity," he said, leaning back in his chair triumphantly.

_AN: Hope you liked! Let me know if you have any suggestions!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Year 4- Chapter 15- Plans and Concerns_

There was a time when Theta was considerably younger, when he would go outside and try to play with the other children on the street. The first time he met someone was always the best. They would talk and play and have fun as children would, but without fail, every time, Epsilon would come out of the house, take Theta away from the games, and make sure that the other child never talked to the young boy again. It was a never ending cycle until Theta learned that he simply should not talk to those in the neighbourhood, so when Theta admitted to Koschei that he was his first real friend, he wasn't joking. The admission was awkward, because Theta had just blurted it out while they were both studying. He didn't know what possessed him, but, before he could stop himself, he said,

"You know, you were my first friend."

At that, Koschei looked up with raised eyebrows and asked, "What brought that up?" Theta quickly sought for a lie he could use to cover up his sentimentality.

"I'm just working on psychology assignment to evaluate your friend's mental health. It's for my Intro to Adolescent Psychology class." Koschei laughed and shook his head.

"First of all, that assignment's far too easy for you. I could give you the file that has everything pertaining to my diagnosis in it. It's in my father's office at our home near Prydon. And second of all, you're holding a book on quantum physics." Theta's eyes widened as he looked down at the book in front of him. Koschei looked at the ceiling and smiled. "I think you should be worried about your mental health, at this rate." Theta blushed and nodded.

"Yeah… Maybe."

"Well, it's funny," Koschei noted, "because the other day, Ushas tried to point out to me that you obviously aren't used to people your own age. And I guess, I kind of brushed it off because she always likes to say random things about people that seem out of place, but… she's kind of right." Theta looked at the ground and nodded. "I'm not insulting you!" Koschei added quickly.

"No, you're right. I haven't really… gotten out much," Theta said, turning the page of his book. Koschei stood up and walked over to Theta.

"We're going out, and you're going to get some social interaction." Theta looked up at Koschei reluctantly.

"Really? I mean, I was just saying that you were my first friend… That doesn't mean that you have to take this as a crusade…" Koschei raised an eyebrow.

"A challenge is a challenge, my dear friend." With that, he hauled Theta to his feet. The young boy dug his heels into the carpet and shook his head.

"I really… just want to study, okay? I'm tired… And we have our finals soon…" Koschei whipped back around.

"Rassilon, are you actually worried about your finals?! Look, people ranked in the low four-hundreds can ace the finals. You're fifth in the entire Academy. You don't need to study." Under his breath, Koschei added, "I never do."

"You may not need to, but my father will be furious if I don't get perfect scores."

"Have you ever gotten a perfect score?" Koschei demanded evenly. Theta stuttered for a moment before shaking his head. "And did you study hard for the tests you didn't get perfect scores on?" Theta nodded slowly. "Case and point. We're going out." With a sigh, Theta allowed himself to be dragged out of the room and down the hall to the room Rallon shared with Mortimus. Koschei knocked on the door. Mortimus opened it with a scowl.

"What do you want, _enfant_?" Koschei smirked.

"You rhymed." He composed himself and looked into the room. "I'm looking for Rallon. Theta needs someone to talk to." Theta moaned and shook his head to Mortimus, hoping that he would say that Rallon was nowhere to be found.

"Let them in, Mortimus," Rallon called from inside. Theta sighed as Mortimus stepped aside and Koschei pulled him inside. "What did Theta need to talk to me about that he couldn't talk to you about?" He paused as a smile lit his face. "Have you got a girlfriend?" Theta shook his head quickly.

"No, no! Koschei just… I mentioned that… We were…." Theta eventually quit trying to talk and ignored the smug expression on Mortimus' face. Koschei cut in.

"He said that I was his first friend." Rallon raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't have a friend when you were a kid? Weren't you friends with your roommate last year? Rassilon, how do you not have any friends until your fourth year at the Academy?" Rallon asked, not unkindly, but not gently either. Theta shrugged.

"Most people didn't want to deal with my father. And the rest… Well, he scared them away, I guess." Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Well, he's not scaring me away. Or anyone else in the Deca, I can promise you that. Anyway, since he said that, I decided he needed to make up for the years of missed social interaction. And I assumed that you'd be the best one to come to. Especially since we're all avoiding studying for the finals." Rallon nodded.

"It's probably a good thing that you didn't go to Ushas or Drax. They're working together for a project the Academy set them to, hoping they would get it finished before the year ends. And Ushas is about to kill Drax."

"That doesn't surprise me in the slightest," Mortimus drawled from his corner. Everyone ignored him. Rallon turned to Theta with a grin.

"So what do you want to discuss? We could talk about girls… Well, I can talk about Millennia. There's the conversation of the break, the weather…" Koschei snorted.

"All of those topics are mundane." Koschei headed to the door. Theta turned around with a confused look.

"Where are you going?" he asked his roommate.

"I'm going to make sure that Ushas doesn't tear Drax's head off. We need him around, you know. For comic relief," he explained with a teasing smirk and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Rallon shook his head.

"Rooming with Koschei must be a nightmare. I'm impressed that you stayed this long, though…" Rallon sat back in his desk and motioned for Theta to sit in Mortimus'. In response, Mortimus snarled something in French and shooed the younger boy away from his desk. "Come on, Mortimus," Rallon chastised. "He's not going to infect the chair with some incurable disease…"

"That's what you think," the dark-haired boy countered, pointing to Rallon's bed. "You can go over there, _enfant_. And stay away from my things." Theta walked over to Rallon's bed and sat down on it awkwardly.

"He's not really that bad at all. Koschei's nice…" Rallon ignored the scoff that Mortimus produced and looked at the younger boy.

"So are you going to room with him again next year? You two do get along pretty well." Theta nodded slowly.

"If he'll say yes, then I guess I'll stay. It'll be nice not having to move all my stuff into another room again this summer. And we kind of have a system. Anything thrown on the left side of the room is mine, and anything on the right is Koschei's." Rallon laughed and shook his head.

"He'll say yes. Trust me. He's never had a roommate as good as you. And besides, you two are friends now, unless I'm sorely mistaken…" Theta nodded.

"Yeah, we're friends." Mortimus looked at Theta evenly and shook his head.

"Koschei doesn't have _friends_. He had allies. He's apolitician like his father. They have allies." Theta shook his head defensively at Mortimus. His father had allies, and not friends. And it seemed like Mekail had quite a few friends. Theta couldn't even find where to correct the other boy's statement.

"Please, Mortimus, if you're going to be an arse, go somewhere else." Mortimus snarled and opened a book on his desk, pretending to be intrigued by what he was reading. Rallon turned back to Theta. "What are you going to do over the summer break?"

"Oh, nothing really. I'll just stay at the house and help Mother clean. It's not like I'll have anything else to do…" Theta left out that he wouldn't be allowed outside of the house at all.

"You know that you could spend the summer at Koschei's right? Ushas did it her second year." Rallon nodded, as if to prove his point further. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind…"

"My father doesn't like Koschei. It wouldn't go over well, and I have a feeling that I'd get in trouble for even thinking about spending more time with him than I already do. Besides, my Mother probably needs help watching the twins." Rallon sighed at the mention of siblings.

"Ah, yes, the eternal torment of being an older sibling..." He looked to Mortimus. "You are so lucky."

"Yes, I am," Mortimus said before gathering all of his books under his arm and looking to the two other boys. "I am going to the library where my studying won't be interrupted by gossiping children." As he walked out, Rallon called after him,

"I'm older than you are!" As the door slammed, he looked back to Theta.

"And I thought it was bad when Koschei was angry," Theta mumbled to himself. Rallon rolled his eyes.

"You've never seen Koschei truly angry. You've seen him mad. I've only seen him angry once, and it was terrifying, and I'm not lying to you. I hope I never have to see him like that again. He was nine at the time, so thankfully he didn't have access to anything lethal… Anyway, Mortimus isn't so bad. He's just not a fan of interaction."

"You're a saint," Theta decided, leaning back so he was lying on Rallon's bed and staring at the ceiling. "What was Koschei mad about?" he asked curiously, but tentatively.

"Ah, some older student beat up Ushas when we were first years. It wasn't really that bad, just a few bruises, but Koschei tracked the boy down, and… " He shrugged. "The boy transferred last I heard." Theta's eyes widened.

"What did he do?" Theta demanded.

"He didn't say. I'm sure you could ask him if you were really curious, but apparently it got reported to one of the teachers, and they took Koschei out of school for a weak. Whatever he did, the teachers didn't think it was funny." Theta was immediately trying to imagine what a small nine-year old could do to an older student. He didn't come up with any good theories. "Anyway, I'm looking forward to break. Millennia and I live close together, so we'll be able to do a lot together this summer." Theta nodded, feigning interest. To be honest, he wasn't sure that it was exactly healthy, how much time the two spent together. Then again, he did reason that he and Koschei spent more time together, technically, and they definitely were not in a relationship. Well, other than a friendship.

"Was Mortimus like this before I came in?" Theta asked softly.

"He woke up on the wrong said of the bed this morning. I'll apologise for him if you want." Theta shook his head.

"No, that's not necessary… And I meant, like, before I roomed with Koschei." At that, Rallon laughed.

"He's been petty ever since we were children. He would never play with my friends, but he would always get jealous whenever I talked to someone else. Eventually, he wouldn't leave my side. And after a while, his mother put me in charge of him. Someone had to keep him from getting himself into trouble." Theta nodded.

"I don't think he knows how lucky he is," Theta noted.

"Oh, he does. He just won't ever admit it." Rallon looked at the door. "And besides, I don't need him to thank me. I feel like I owe him it. His parents are never really home, so someone needs to give him attention." Theta smiled at the image of Rallon parenting Mortimus. "I suppose it's kind of like you and Koschei." At that, Theta bolted up.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, your parents are very strict and Koschei is, well, not. And so you enjoy time with him because you can just be yourself. I can see it, I'm not blind. You two are great friends." Theta began inching towards the door as the conversation grew more and more awkward.

"Thanks for your time, Rallon," Theta said, opening the door. Rallon nodded. "Anytime, Theta." Theta shut the door quickly and walked down the hall back to his room. When he opened the door, he saw Koschei and Ushas sitting across from each other. Ushas was whining about something, and Koschei was shaking his head at her. Theta stepped in awkwardly.

"Thanks for leaving me," Theta muttered to Koschei, who simply smiled in return.

"I didn't leave you. I simply….encouraged you to form unique friendships." Ushas laughed and stood up. She gently smacked the back of Koschei's head and looked at Theta with a smile.

"I smacked him for you." She turned to Koschei. "Well, I'll keep that in mind next time I plan on killing Drax."

"Please do," Koschei reminded her before she walked out the door. Then, he turned to Theta. "So, what are your plans for the summer?" he asked.

_Next Chapter: Social Norms_

_AN: This chapter was edited by NobleBea! Check out some of her stuff; it's awesome. And this might be slightly cracky because I was doped up medication when I wrote it, so sorry for that! And for the record, if you do suggest something that I can fit in, I'll give you credit when I get around to the chapter. Thanks for reading!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Year 4- Chapter 16- Social Norms_

Theta sat in his room, staring at the ceiling, and listening to his father rant about something downstairs. He couldn't hear the exact words being said, but he could tell that it was about the Academy. Probably about him. With a sigh, Theta hauled himself off of the bed and looked out the window. It was a cloudy day, and from the look of the silver leaves being ripped off of the trees, it was a windy day, as well. He moved to the books in the corner and started to rummage through them. They were all the required reading for the next year at the Academy. Theta had to admit that, for the first time in his life, he was excited to go back and spend time with others his age. Just as Theta was about to start reading, his father called up.

"Boy! Get down here!" Theta got to his feet reluctantly and headed over to his door. He poked his head out.

"What is it, Father?" he asked.

"Don't give me lip. I said to get down here!" Theta walked down the hallway to the stairs and walked down silently, worrying about what his father would demand this time. "What is it I hear that you were not at the top of your Conversational Linguistics class?" Theta shrugged.

"There's a boy in the class who's smarter than me… It's not that I didn't try. Really."

"No, it is that you didn't try. You're such a failure, a disgrace," Epsilon spit out. Janna walked over to her husband and handed him a glass of alcohol. Epsilon accepted it and returned his accusing gaze to his son. "And who is this boy that is so much smarter than you?"

"Koschei Mekail… He's brilliant… There's no way that I could get a higher grade than him…" His father processed the statement for a moment, his frown turning into a scowl.

"That brat? You let that conceited little bastard-child out-rank you?" Theta gave a small nod, trying to avoid the wrath that was inevitably to come.

"I'm sorry, sir. I really am. I'll try harder next year." Epsilon snarled.

"You had better." With that, he set his glass on the small table nearby and towered over his son. "Listen to me, and listen to me carefully. You are nothing, You don't deserve to live in this house and you don't deserve to be under my protection if you can't manage to beat a boy as stupid as Mekail's." Theta looked past his father.

"Why do you hate him so much?" he demanded, quietly. Epsilon scoffed and narrowed his eyes.

"That man represents everything that is poisoning Gallifrey. He thinks the Southerners are our equals; he thinks that abominations can live among us peacefully. He wants to make Gallifrey weak. Understood?" Theta meekly nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"So, if you think that I will be satisfied with the son of such a weak man ranking higher than you, you are very wrong. You will score higher next year." He grabbed Theta by his hair so they were looking at each other. "Do you hear me, boy?" Theta nodded, wincing as his father held his hair tighter.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

"You had better be, you disgrace. At least your brothers know what is expected of them, and they live up to my expectations. One day, they will be the most respected Time-Lords of Gallifrey and you," he scoffed, "you will be nothing more than a failure."

"Yes, sir," Theta said again, trying to placate his father. Epsilon sneered.

"Is that all you have to say, you spineless wretch?" Theta shook his head carefully.

"No, sir. I was just trying to…" Epsilon hit Theta's head against the wall and tilted his head.

"You impudent brat. You can't do anything. And you most definitely cannot try to do anything." With that, he threw Theta to the side and walked back to his glass. He took a sip and looked at the small boy on the floor. "So, what do you plan to do to bring your rank up?"

"I'll… study harder and…. I'll try… I'll work harder." Epsilon smiled coldly.

"That sounds like a good plan. Why don't you get to it?" Theta looked at the door, suddenly inspired.

"Well, Borusa offered to tutor me on some of the subjects I was lacking in…" he said, refusing to meet his father's gaze. "He said it could wait until later this summer, but if I need it, I suppose I can…"

"Get out," Epsilon ordered shortly. "And make sure that you come back considerably smarter than you are now." He turned his back. Theta slowly got to his feet and ruffled his hair. As he touched the door, his father added, "Bring anymore disgrace to this family, and you will regret that you were ever born." Theta nodded as he opened the door.

"Yes, sir. I understand." With that, he shut the door and walked out into the blustery wind. Immediately, he started walking, suddenly realised that he had lied to his father. He hadn't meant to… He had just wanted to get out away from his father and his family… and to do that, he had lied. Theta was terror-stricken. His hearts started to race. If his father found out, he would be furious. But he couldn't go back and tell his father that it was a lie; that would be worse. Theta began walking faster, away from his house, and away from the Academy. With a shiver, his mind started racing as he considered his options. He actually could go to the Academy, but it was deserted and students were not usually allowed back in over the summer. None of the teachers would really be there, either. He could simply wander around, but the clouds were growing darker by the minute. A small voice in the back of his head said to go back and admit to his father that he had lied, to prevent the inevitable fury. But then, Theta got an idea. He could get away with lying. His father would never find out. He had somewhere to go.

With a small, triumphant smile, Theta sped up his pace. Koschei had said that he was welcome to spend some time at his house. And Mekail would lie for him, he imagine. Everything would be fine. His father would never know that he lied. All would be good. If a message box got to Borusa, the teacher would lie to protect him. That much Theta knew for sure. As lightning streaked through the grey sky, Theta entered the block that lead to Koschei's house. Rain started to pour the minute the boy reached the large metal gates in front of the mansion. As he tried to pull them open, his hands slipped slightly, but he managed to get inside. He smiled as he walked up to the front door and knocked as loudly as he could. When there was no response, he pushed the small button beside the door, and he could hear the bell inside the house. Finally, the door was opened by Callia. She gave a shocked smile to Theta and ushered him inside.

"Hello," she said, quickly looking for something to dry the boy off with. "What brings you here in this atrocious weather?"

"My father kicked me out." Callia's smile slipped as she nodded.

"Here, I'll get you're a towel and some clothes…" She started to walk off. "Koschei! Theta's here!" she yelled down the hallway. As she disappeared into one of the many halls in the house, Theta heard a door open and close again. A moment later, Koschei appeared. He was wearing a black Earth-style t-shirt and shorts.

"You look like shit," he commented snidely. Theta smiled back.

"Koschei, watch your mouth," Callia reminded as she came back with a set of towels and some of Koschei's clothes. "Here, these look like they'll fit you… And you know where the bathroom is, right?" Theta nodded.

"Thank you," he said as he headed off.

"When you come out, I'll have something warm for you to drink," Callia promised. Koschei rolled his eyes.

"Mother," he groaned with pretend exasperation.

"I'm allowed to mother him, if I can't mother you, Lord I-am-too-independent-for-my-parents." Callia responded teasingly. Theta smiled at the family atmosphere that he never felt at his own house as he disappeared into the bathroom. He immediately pulled off the dripping clothes, feeling that the moment was very reminiscent of when he first arrived at Koschei's house after the riot they had been pulled into. That memory felt so far away, suddenly. Theta dried himself off and tossed on the too-big clothes. He was slightly concerned that they would fall off of him at first. He walked out, the damp towels in hand. When he went back to the kitchen, Callia was holding a mug for him.

"Tea," she announced, handing it to him.

"Tea?" the younger boy asked, studying the suspiciously green, watery drink.

"It's an Earth-drink. They put leaves into hot water. Mekail got some as a gift from another politician a while ago. Koschei hates it, but I don't see why. Just give it a try." Theta looked at her and then nodded. He blew on the water, hoping it wasn't too hot. After he took a sip, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why don't you like it, Koschei?" he asked to the older boy, who was sitting down at the table, watching in amusement.

"It tastes like watered down dirt. What's pleasant about that?" he demanded with a roll of his eyes. Theta turned to Callia with a smile.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. He wished for a moment that Callia was his mother, not the woman who always locked him in his room and hurled insults at him. Koschei walked over and patted Theta on the back.

"Your taste buds must be dead," he said in a joking and mournful fashion. Callia then ushered the boys over to the table and sat down.

"What did your father kick you out for?" she asked, obviously not judging, but looking worried.

"Oh," Theta said softly. "He found out that Koschei scored higher than me in one of our classes and… he wasn't happy about it. So I… I lied and told him I could get tutoring from Borusa…" Theta put his head in his hands. "He's going to find out and punish me, I know it." He looked at Callia with an almost desperate expression. "I don't want to go back," Callia frowned deeply.

"I'm sorry, Theta, as much as I love having you here, we can't refuse to send you home. We have no basis for removing you from your home…" Koschei scoffed.

"Yeah, his father beating him senseless isn't enough, I'd imagine." Koschei looked at the younger boy and then to his mother.

"I'm sorry, Theta, Koschei, but we don't have a basis for a true complaint. But," she smiled slightly. "I can have Borusa send a message to your father saying that you'll be staying at the Academy to study for a week or so to brush up." She looked to Koschei and then to the younger boy. "How does that sound?" Theta shrugged.

"I don't want to bother you…"

"It's not a big deal at all!" Callia insisted.

"And I'll have to get my clothes," Theta looked at the way Koschei's clothes barely hung onto him with a small smile. Callia waved her hand dismissively,

"I'll get you some when I go out tomorrow. I assume you wouldn't mind if I just got you some Earth-clothes to keep it simple?" Theta shook his head.

"No, you don't need to do that! Really! I can just run home and get something to wear… Really." Callia shook her head and looked to Koschei.

"What size were those?" Koschei paused for a moment.

"The shirts were mediums and the pants were… 14's I think…" Theta blushed and shook his head.

"Really! You don't have to!"

"Listen, Theta, dear. It's not a big issue. If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have a reason to go shopping very often. And besides, I'm sure that you could do with some clothes for when you come here. I'll head out tomorrow and find you something. I promise that I'll stick to simple things. Okay?" Theta sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to win this fight.

"Just give in, Thete. We have money to burn anyway…" Callia shot Koschei a glare.

"What have I told you about bragging about your station in life?" Koschei rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't bragging, I was stating a fact." With that, he looked to Theta. "Besides, some of your clothes are looking a little worse for wear anyway." Theta, giving up entirely, nodded his defeat.

"Just… please don't go over the top," Theta begged to Callia.

_Next Chapter: Over the Top_

_AN: I love you all! You're so awesome for reading this story! If you've got any ideas for Theta and Koschei's summer adventures, let me know!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Year Four- Chapter 17- Over the Top_

Callia had knocked on Theta's door to wake him up and tell him that she was leaving for the day, but there had been no response, so she had opened the door. She was surprised to see that the bed was made. Even though Theta hadn't said anything to her recently, she had an idea where the boy was. On a hunch, she walked to the back of the house. Callia opened the door into the backyard to see Theta running laps around the large area. He was wearing just a pair of Koschei's shorts and shoes.

"Theta," she called with a smile. The young boy stopped running and stared at her for a moment.

"Yes, ma'am?" Callia motioned towards to front of the house.

"I'm leaving now. Is there anything else you'd like me to get while I'm out?" Theta shook his head vehemently.

"You really don't have to do all this," he tried to impress upon her, but she simply shook her head and smiled more. She started to head back inside.

"Have a good day, Theta," she called. As soon as she shut the door, her smile dropped to a frown. Even from the distance she had been, she still had seen the way Theta's bones jutted out from his body. His ribs were visible and shoulders were angular and striking, and not in a healthy fashion. Koschei walked up to his mother and noticed her expression.

"Mother?" he asked, looking at her. "Is something wrong?" Callia looked to her son quickly.

"Nothing. Just thinking." Koschei nodded and glanced at the door behind her.

"Is Theta running?" he asked, sounding unsurprised.

"Yes." Callia stepped away from the door. "Does he do that every morning?" she asked, still thinking of how skinny the child was. Koschei shrugged.

"Yeah. Apparently when he's home, his bastard of a father rips him out of bed before dawn and makes him run around his house for an hour or something. I don't know why Theta hasn't just run away yet… Anyway, have a good day shopping," he teased. Callia nodded and put a hand on her son's shoulder.

"Now you behave yourself and be nice to Theta. And don't leave the property. I mean it. Your father just helped pass legislation to bring in Southern diplomats. And a new series of threats were sent to his office. I don't want you in danger." Koschei nodded dismissively.

"Okay, Mum, okay." He started to head out to the back to join Theta as his mother looked at him sternly.

"I mean it." Koschei smiled at her, nodded, and then closed the door behind himself. Callia sighed and walked to the front of the house. Mekail was sitting in the living room, surrounded by message boxes.

"I see that Theta's staying over," he noted as grabbed a box, programmed a message in, and then sent it back off.

"Well, I wasn't about to send him back to Epsilon." She walked over to stand in front of her husband and looked at the piles of messages with a shake of her head. Mekail looked up at her.

"We can't keep him here…" Callia raised her eyebrows.

"Watch me," she challenged, walking to the front door.

"Where are you going?" Mekail asked watching her leave curiously. Callia turned around to her face her husband.

"I'm going to get clothes for the child who's been beaten and starved by his father and then kicked out of his own home. So, if you want to question me further, please, by all means, continue." Mekail got up and walked over to Callia. He gently took her hand into his.

"We can't interfere with Theta. You heard what Ealli said about Koschei…"

"Ealli was wrong!" Callia said, ripping her hand away from her husband's. "She was deranged. She didn't know what she was talking about. And I'm not going to watch some poor child suffer at Epsilon's hand if I can help it. I don't care if I'm… enabling something, but I can't just sit here." Mekail gave a small sigh and nodded to his wife.

"I wasn't questioning you, Callia. I was just reminding you…" Callia nodded quickly.

"Well, consider yourself heard, Mekail." She wasn't being dismissive, but she refused to budge on the subject. "I'll be back before lunch. And tell Koschei that if he doesn't improve his language, I'm going to make wash his mouth out with soap." Mekail gave a small chuckle.

"You've picked up on some of the human's odder traditions," he noted playfully. Callia smiled to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Do tell him though, please." Mekail nodded solemnly and teasingly. "Bye," Callia said before closing the door. She walked around to the side of the house and pulled her TARDIS key out of her pocket. She stepped inside of her time machine with a smile. The console made with a base of dark wood and the whole console room was almost like an art exhibit. There was nothing out of place in the artfully empty room. She closed the door and proceeded to punch in the coordinates to Earth. Within moments, she had landed. Callia let pulled open a drawer on the console and pulled out a wad of Euros. She walked out, a spring in her steps. She locked the TARDIS, which was disguised as a very large column for the building behind it. The first store she saw, she walked in. She didn't know the year, but she did know that it was somewhere in the twenty-first century. She knew that was when Koschei preferred to get his clothes to wear around the house. She began walking around, thinking through Theta's measurement as though he were her own son.

"Hello," a young woman said, approaching Callia. "Are you finding everything alright?" she asked. Callia shook her head and pointed over at the boy's section.

"I'm shopping for my son…" Callia paused when she realised the lie that came out of her mouth so easily. "But he's been growing quickly lately, and I don't know exactly what to get. " She ran through what Koschei had said. "Small shirts, probably, and something smaller than size 14 pants…" The young woman, with the name tag of Roza, smiled brightly.

"I can help you, if you would like."

"That would be fantastic." For a moment, Callia remembered why she loved spending time on Earth. She wasn't immediately being judged by every detail about herself and her family. At the mention of her 'son's' petite size, something about genetics would have been remarked on, and she would have been pitied or sneered upon. Here, the woman was just glad to help her find clothes. It was so simple on Earth. The young human led her to a large collection of shirts and stacked blue pants. _Jeans, they're called,_ Callia reminded herself with a grin. She wondered, though, why such a strange colour had been chosen to go with everything worn. Blue, in fact, did not really match most of what she saw. She was sure it all had something to do with the twenty-first century's oppressive media culture.

"Well, let's see… Here's a pair of size 12's," Roza said, holding up a pair of jeans. Callia appraised them for a moment for bobbing her head.

"Those look like they'll fit." With that, she grabbed two pairs, draping them over her forearm.

"And what's your son interested in?" the human asked, simultaneously trying to start a conversation and determine what type of shirt to help the other woman find. Callia paused.

"Uh, I think we should find him something simple." Roza made her way over to the stacks of t-shirts and plaid flannels.

"Well, it's popular right now to wear a t-shirt under something else…" the woman offered, pawing through the t-shirts to find something smaller than an extra-large. "Here!" She pulled out a grey shirt and a blue and grey flannel button up. "It's pretty simple, but it's trending…"

For the next half-hour, Callia and Roza worked their way through the entire boy's section and found a small, suitable wardrobe for the boy that the politician had taken under her wing. By the time she was done, she and Roza had become quite the acquaintances. After she paid with the cash she was carrying, Callia smiled to Roza.

"This may sound silly, but please take my word for it… You said something about your family in Japan… Don't visit them in 2011 at all, okay?" Roza gave a small confused smile.

"It is 2011. February thirteenth…"

"Just, keep it in mind," Callia said as she turned away with a small smile and headed back to her TARDIS.

Callia walked into the house to see her three boys sitting at the coffee table staring at a small device.

"I think it's for communication of some sort," Koschei declared, poking at it gently. Mekail furrowed his eyebrows and then looked up to his wife.

"Hello." With that, he went back to staring at the metal in front of him.

"Maybe it's for… entertainment?" Theta offered, picking it up and examining the holes in it. Callia set her bags down and walked over, shaking her head. Back in her Academy days, she had specialised in foreign cultures, particularly Earth and the humanoid planets similar to Gallifrey.

"It's a musical instrument. It's called a harmonica," she explained, gently taking it from Theta and putting her lips to it. When the buzzing whistle became audible, Koschei raised his eyebrows.

"I feel stupid," he muttered under his breath. Callia set it back down and looked to Theta with a too-large smile.

"Okay, so you have to try them all on," she said, setting the two bags on the small boy's lap. "And you'll have to know if you want me to return anything, okay?" Theta glanced at Koschei for a moment. Koschei gave a small shrug and looked back to his mother. Theta slowly stood up.

"Now?" he asked, blushing slightly. Callia nodded, beaming.

"You don't have to come out and show us, but you can just let me know if everything fits. And if the pants are a little loose, I got you a belt, too." Theta ducked his head and left quickly and quietly. Mekail shook his head laughingly.

"The poor boy seems confused." Koschei nodded.

"Well, for some reason I doubt that his parents ever go out and buy him anything just to be nice…" Callia said nothing at that remark and sat down in the chair next to her husband. Mekail was staring into the space behind his son intently, almost as if to ignore the way Koschei's last remark hung in the air. Callia looked down the hallway where Theta had headed.

"I hope he likes them," she said, mostly to herself. "I mean, it's not hard to return them, but I just want him to have something better than what he has." Mekail turned to her. The last statement summed up everything she had been doing for the young boy. She wanted nothing more than to make his life better than it was.

"You can't save everyone…"

"Watch me." Callia looked to her husband challengingly. Koschei looked between the two, trying to hide his surprise. The small, short exchange was the closest thing to a fight he had seen them had ever. To ease the tension, Koschei started to sprawl across the couch slowly, putting his feet up on the opposite side and stretching. "Feet off the couch, Koschei," his mother reminded with a fond shake of her head.

"Sorry, Mum," he said, smiling mischievously. Callia rolled her eyes at the boy and looked down the hallway.

"Do you think I insulted him? He didn't seem thrilled…" Koschei groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Trust me. He's just experiencing mild shock. And maybe recuperating from a heart-attack. Or maybe he's just really thankful. He kept babbling to me all morning about how it's so weird here. He actually asked if we had staff here. Apparently his father had a cook and a nursemaid for a while." Mekail scoffed.

"That would be Epsilon for you," he said with distain dripping from his voice. "Pay for someone else to raise a child…." After taking a moment to compose himself, Mekail continued. "The Numeral has very different beliefs than ours. We raised you ourselves because it was how we've always done things in both of our families." Theta poked his head out from around the corner.

"Did… you say something about my father?" he asked quietly. Callia motioned for him to come over eagerly.

"Just discussing the difference between your family's traditions and ours," Callia explained simply dodging the truth rather than lying. Theta stepped out. He was wearing the new jeans, plus the belt, and a grey t-shirt. He gave a small, shy smile to the woman.

"Thank you. I've never had…" he trailed off, motioning to the clothes awkwardly. "All of this new…" Koschei shook his head.

"Better than wearing my old clothes, I'd imagine." Theta nodded with a small smile. Callia stood up and hugged him quickly. Theta blushed and shied away from the contact from habit.

"Sorry," Callia said, slightly embarrassed. Theta shook his head.

"No, it's okay… Just not used to all this…" He looked to Koschei for reassurance. "I mean, you're all so nice to me, and I've never done anything for you all… And my father says nothing but slander against you…" He looked away from Mekail guiltily. "Why are you so nice to me?" Callia sighed and looked her husband morosely.

"Because there was a time when your father and Mekail were good friends, and because we're more than willing to give you some place to go when you need to leave Epsilon." Something in her eyes told Theta that she knew everything. She knew how he treated him and many others. She wasn't stupid or clueless. She was a wise woman, he thought passingly.

"Oh," the young boy said lamely, looking down at his feet. Callia smiled at him lightly.

"Besides, your mother once did something for me… and I will never be able to repay her kindness."

_Next Chapter: In Need of Tribulation _

_AN: The upcoming chapter title is a quote from Goethe's Faust. And it will be based on the prompt from hermione-amelia-rose1479. And hopefully it will also cover the subplot that GallifreyanTimeTot offered!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Year Four- Chapter 18- In Need of Tribulation_

Theta sat quietly on the couch, reading a tome he had borrowed from Mekail's library. It was book on time-travel. The young boy was entirely engrossed in the reading. As he was reading through the page intently, Mekail walked in, holding two mugs. He smiled to Theta and sat down on the chair across from the couch. He set one mug on the table. At the clinking noise, Theta startled. He slammed the book closed and he looked to Mekail with fear in his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't ask to borrow the book, sir!" he said quickly, holding it out for Mekail. The politician shook his head and smiled.

"You can keep it if you want. I'm sure I can always find another copy. And Callia told me you liked tea. I made you a cup." Theta slowly took a hold of the mug and sipped at it, wondering why Mekail was talking to him. His fear was subsiding, only to be replaced by anxiety. The man was usually so busy that he was either with the high council in a meeting or holed up in his study that it was odd to see him simply relaxing. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it had to be important to have him ignore his duties.

"Uh… Thanks…" Theta stuttered uneasily. Mekail sat back, watching the boy intently.

"Theta, I'm aware that your father is… unfair in many ways." Theta looked away guiltily, trying to ignore the memories that were brought to mind and his urge to defend his father. "And I want you to know that you are welcome here. I know that I've seemed… distant about it, but… I understand your situation. It is dangerous for our family to get involved with helping one of the Numeral's children, but you're one of Koschei's closest friends."

"I'm sorry for causing trouble, sir. I can leave, if it helps." Theta's offer was quickly rejected.

"And send you back to be beaten? No, Theta." Mekail stood up and walked over to Theta, a small smile on his face. "I've taken the morning off, so I can show you some things." Theta blinked. This man wasn't even his father, wasn't even one of his father's allies, and he was trying to help him. The idea was shocking to say the least.

"Can Koschei come to?" Theta asked shyly, finally making eye contact with the older Time Lord.

"Of course," Mekail said before motioning to the book. "And since you're so interested in it, how would you like to take a trip in my TARDIS?" At that, they boy's eyes lit up.

"I…. would love that!" He had never been off of Gallifrey. His father had forbidden him from it. Suddenly, the rebellion seemed safe, fun even. Theta jumped up quickly, clutching the book under his arm tightly. "Can… Can we go now?" Mekail chuckled at the boy's excited behaviour. This was the first time he'd seen him slip out from his strictly calm demeanour.

"That was the plan." Mekail turned away and looked down the hallway. "Koschei! Get ready, we're taking a trip!" After a moment, Koschei poked his head out from a room far down the hallway.

"What?" he demanded, looking as though he had just woken up. His black hair was sticking up in all directions, and he just seemed to ooze exhaustion. He looked at his father frustratedly.

"Did you sleep at all last night, Koschei?" Mekail demanded, obviously unamused. Koschei ran a hand through his mussed hair furiously.

"No, because the damn drums were so loud." With that, Koschei slammed the door. Mekail sighed and walked out front. As he stood in the door frame, he glanced back to Theta.

"I'll be preparing my TARDIS. You can talk Koschei into coming if you want, but I'll warn you, we've given up dealing with him when he's like this. He will be unreasonable." Theta nodded slowly and started down the hall. There had been times where he wondered what Koschei really heard, wondered if the drums were really there, but he promptly felt guilty questioning it. He had already told the older boy that he believed him about the noise, and he really did, it's just that there were times it seemed to odd, so impossible. With that in the forefront of his mind, Theta stood in front of the worn down old door and knocked tentatively. When there was no response, Theta turned the handle and walked in. When the door had opened about a foot, it stopped and refused to budge. Theta glanced in to see that half of a broken nightstand was wedged behind it. Theta slid in and looked at Koschei, who had his back against the opposite wall, glaring at the younger boy with his blood-shot eyes.

"Koschei, your father is taking me in his TARDIS. I wanted you to come along." As the two made eye contact, Theta shivered. He could see something in Koschei's eyes that he had never seen before- true emptiness. In place of the normal teasing look in those familiar blue eyes, there was nothing.

"Do you hear them?" Koschei asked, hugging his knees to his chest. "Because they won't go away. They never go away." Theta awkwardly inched forward and sat in front of his roommate.

"No, Koschei, I don't hear them. But they're… not… They don't rule you, okay? You should come with us." Koschei blinked slowly, trying to push out the overwhelming pressure in his head. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Only the drums could do this to him, cripple him. He would have snapped at anyone else and violently demand that they leave, but Theta wasn't trying to patronise him. He was just trying to be helpful. "Please?" Theta asked quietly. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Koschei shook his head.

"I won't be any fun," he explained. "I can hardly hear you as it is." Koschei had expected the younger boy to simply nod and walk away, but he didn't. Theta sat there with a determined expression and crossed his arms.

"You just need a distraction," he insisted, hauling Koschei to his feet as best as he could. "Come on. We're going." Theta dragged Koschei out of the cluttered room and into the hallway. Mekail, who had been standing in the hall with his key in his hand, was shocked to see his son actually out of his room. Theta smiled at the politician.

"He'll come," the younger boy announced. Koschei blinked and glared up at the lights above him, wishing that Theta would have just left him in that room to stay for the rest of the day.

"Well, I'm ready when you two are," Mekail offered. Koschei walked outdoors grudgingly and crossed his arms. He looked at his father's TARDIS before getting an idea. The politician opened the doors to the machine which was disguised as a small shed and looked to the boys.

"Where are we going?" Koschei asked, shielding his eyes from the suns. Theta walked into the TARDIS slowly, eyes glued on the interior. The walls were white with small indented circles, and the room was simple. In the middle, there was a tall, white control panel. The whole room was simple, uncluttered, and Theta imagined that Mekail had designed it that way. For some reason, it fit the man. Theta walked over to the control panel and slowly put his hand on it, worshipping the TARDIS as though it were the only one in existence. Koschei, considerably less awed, started pressing buttons without much thought.

"What are you doing?" Theta asked, both intrigued and nervous. Koschei looked at his father for a moment.

"Preparing the TARDIS," he said, as though it had been obvious. Mekail closed the doors and began to punch in coordinates. Theta didn't realise he had been grinning the entire time until he felt the corners of his mouth start to hurt.

"And to answer your question, Koschei, I'm taking us to Rhi. It's a simple planet, not very developed, and I think it's perfect for your first trip off of Gallifrey." Theta nodded vigorously.

"Thank you so much, sir!" he said, as the TARDIS shook slightly.

"We're here." Theta furrowed his eyebrows and looked around.

"What do you mean?" he asked as Mekail opened the doors. The first thing through the door was a blinding light. Koschei hissed slightly and covered his eyes again, muttering to himself about the stupidity of the entire trip. Theta was the first outside. His eyes grew wide as he scanned the land around him.

There was thick, blue-green grass stretching across the ground as far as the eye could see. Tall, spindly trees reached up to the sky, leaf-less and naked, but beautiful nonetheless. The small shrubs nearby were similarly shaped. The branches twisted chaotically, entangling themselves. Theta stooped to the ground to get a closer look.

"This is amazing," he whispered. Mekail smiled fondly at the boy and locked the TARDIS. Koschei paused and looked around. He knelt beside Theta and nodded to himself.

"It's an Umsfeda Hewalia." Theta turned to Koschei with an impressed expression. Koschei quickly explained, "You get to take Universal Botany next year. It's a blast," he added sarcastically. Mekail put a hand on Theta's shoulder and pointed to the west.

"The Rhian civilisation is that way, if you want to learn some more." Theta jumped to his feet and started to walk away quickly. Koschei got back to his feet at a considerably slower pace and looked to his father.

"So, haven't you been to Rhi on business before?" Mekail nodded.

"We wanted to consider them as allies, since our species are so similar, but they rejected. I knew they would, they're an entirely peaceful society, but it was worth a try. They would never agree to an alliance when it could distance people looking from refuge. In fact, the planet has no alliances with any planet or system as far the high council knows." He paused. "Rhi has been a refuge since it was strong enough to defend itself from other planets. Theta," he called quickly, "don't get too far ahead!" The boy turned around, blushing, and waited for the other two to catch up to him.

"Sorry, sir," Theta apologised. "This is just so… exciting." Mekail smiled fondly and pointed to the large silhouette on the horizon.

"It's perfectly understandable. Now, since Rhi was established as an independent planet, it has been funded by the goodwill of other, often more concerned systems. Gallifrey has not donated in years. Most Time Lords consider Rhi to be a harbour for the useless or weak." Koschei scoffed.

"I've seen the finances. Obviously you don't agree with Gallifrey." Mekail sighed.

"There are a lot of things that I do not agree with Gallifrey on, but that's beside the point." Theta looked between the two, confused.

"What about finances?" he asked curiously.

"Father donates his own money to the sanctuary," Koschei explained. "And some other places, too, because the High Council won't designate room in the treasury for something so…. small." Mekail gave a small nod as they approached the doors. Theta blinked rapidly and tilted his head back to get a better look at the structure. There were tall spires that stretched into the sky like the trees around them. In fact, the entire architecture seemed to resemble something in nature. The gates were made of small boulders, a simple and natural barrier, and the rest of the building rose from the ground like a series of small trees. Mekail opened the small gate in front of them, which was made to resemble vines, and ushered the boys in. Immediately, they were surprised by the amount of people just sitting in the grass, relaxing. Some children were running around, shrieking with laughter. Adults were sitting on the ground, talking amongst themselves. A few people glanced at Mekail, but no one stared for longer than a few seconds. Koschei noted that most of the people were wearing simple blue clothes, but scattered amongst the people in blue, were men and women wearing white.

"The Rhians themselves wear the white," Mekail explained after Koschei voiced his discovery. "All Rhians are trained to be caretakers. If they do not want the job of caretakers, when they come of age, they are either allowed to leave, or find another station to take in the sanctuary." Theta shook his head in awe.

"Thank you so much, Mr Mekail," he whispered. Mekail put a hand on Theta's shoulder and smiled sadly.

"You don't deserve the situation you've been in, Theta. I just want you to know that there is a whole world here that it's better than Gallifrey." Theta looked at the politician with a grateful smile and then looked at Koschei, who was distracted by a young man in white walking over to them. He was wearing a simple, loose, white shirt, and white pants. His brown boots were laced up to his calves. He smiled to Mekail.

"Hello, sir," he addressed, holding a hand out. Mekail shook it quickly. When they made contact, Mekail's eyes closed and, as soon as the contact was broken, Mekail sighed. The young man looked at Theta and smiled to him kindly.

"Hello, Theta-Sigma. Welcome to Rhi. It's an honour that your first travel has led you here." Theta, confused and wide-eyed, glanced to Mekail. Noticing the confusion, the Rhian explained, "Our species can interact through thoughts based on physical contact. I understand that Time Lords often have this ability as well. We are very similar, physically." Koschei knew that that was where the similarities ended. When he had learned about the Rhians in his classes, he found that they were entirely peaceful, with no specific leader at any given point in time, and they had never been in a civil stuggle. So, biologically, the species were similar, but morally, the simple, peace-loving Rhians were the opposites of the Time Lords.

"Thank you, Irune, would you mind if Theta and Koschei explored for a while?" The young man shrugged with a smile.

"They are free to do as they wish. And, I'm sorry if this was purely a trip for pleasure, but we do need to talk to you about the situation with Gallifrey. We have heard of unrest, and we have been asked by both sides what our policy was on harbouring war criminals. Also, we have someone who you may wish to see. " Mekail sighed and looked to the boys.

"Go on ahead, Father," Koschei encouraged with a wave of his hand. "It's for the betterment of Gallifrey." Mekail sighed and looked at Theta and his son.

"It's okay!" Theta said quickly. "Koschei and I can just run around for a while!"

"Okay," the man said reluctantly, "but don't get yourself in any trouble. Do you hear me?" Koschei nodded with a roll of his eyes.

"Father, what could possibly happen?"

_Next Chapter: An Unearthly Monster_

_First of all, this chapter is dedicated to NobleBea, who is having a terrible week. Please go and review something of hers to make it better!_  
><em>Next, I would like to thank Unapologetically Bombastic for being an amazing person!<em>

_The next chapter will be based on the prompts and will involve a Dalek, a hidden monster, some serious foreshadowing, and some other really bad shit. It was all going to start in this one, but Koschei just had to go and whine for five hundred words..._

_Also, (sorry this is so long) my headcanon about One's TARDIS is that it looks like Mekail's did in honour of the man that helped to raise him. (And, yes, the name of the next chapter is a reference to the first ever Doctor Who episode, "An Unearthly Child.")_

_Finally, let me summarize this chapter for you:_

_Theta: LET'S GO ON A MAGICAL ADVENTURE!_

_Koschei: FUCK OFF._

_(And for the first person to catch the fic-crossover in this, I will write any prompt for Doctor Who that you give me.{Not open to Unapologetically, who already figured it out. :P})_


	19. Chapter 19

_Year Four- Chapter 19- An Unearthly Monster_

Koschei pulled out some of the grass by his knees and sighed. His father had already been gone for an hour, and what had started out as a mildly interesting trip was suddenly mind-numbingly boring. Not to mention that the din in his head had hardly even quieted. He could not understand why the younger boy was so happy about the whole trip. Theta, though, regardless of Koschei's glum behaviour, sat next to his roommate and watched the people around him curiously. There were so many species of aliens. He had never known that such a large number even existed. His studies hadn't covered other beings yet, so everything was new to the boy. Theta looked at some of the children running around the sanctuary. Some were still learning how to walk, and some were almost old enough to be adults. The wide variety boggled young Theta's mind. He smiled widely as a young girl walked over to him. She was wearing a blue dress with small ribbons at the hem. She grinned at him and sat down on the grass in front of the two boys.

"I heard you two are Time-Lords," she said pressingly. It was an odd tone, but Koschei nodded in an attempt to have her stop speaking. Her voice was agitatingly high-pitched.

"And what species you are?"

"I dunno. Mum won't tell me. She's a human. From Earth. But she told me that my dad's not. So I dunno…" She looked away from Koschei. "Anyway, I was told that I should show you two around. And I think I might be able to show you some cool things." With that, she jumped to her feet. Theta looked to Koschei, almost for his approval, before standing up.

"Sure," Koschei acquiesced, knowing that anything was better than just sitting around and waiting for his father. He followed the girl as she started to walk away, tucking her brown hair behind her ears. He paused when he noticed that her eyes were an off-putting shade of yellow, Theta noted as he stood closer to her.

"What's your name?" Theta asked her gently, trying not to prod too much.

"I'm Meona. And I heard that you're Theta-Sigma. And that's Koschei, the Guardian's son." Theta looked back to Koschei and nodded.

"Yeah. And you can just call me Theta. No one really calls me by full name except for my… father." He tried to ignore the sudden scowl that made its way onto Koschei's face. The girl opened the door to the sheltered part of the sanctuary and walked in. Theta stopped moving as he looked around. The high ceiling, etched with a map of the planets, was impressive on its own, but the architecture was what awed the boy. Majestic columns collided with the ceiling, intertwining with artificial lights. The arches and pillars were like nothing the boy had ever seen. The atrium around them was surrounded by balconied with sudden drop-offs and no railings.

"I was told that I shouldn't show you two, but I like you both," the girl said, almost to herself. Theta, not wanting to stir up more trouble than was necessary, shook his head.

"You… don't need to do that." He received no response from the girl, who continued to lead them deeper into the building. Koschei began to feel a disturbance flitting around in the back of his consciousness the further they went. There was another Time Lord in the sanctuary, and it didn't feel as though it was his father. With a frown, Koschei stopped the girl.

"What is it you're showing us?" he demanded. The small girl looked shocked at the violence in his tone. Her gaze darted away as she put her hands together in front of her.

"Well, you're Time Lords… I thought you'd be interested…" With that, she dodged to the side and continued down the hallways hurriedly. Koschei looked to Theta, throwing his arms in the air exasperatedly.

"Should we follow her?" Theta asked, watching as she turned a corner.

"I don't know," Koschei admitted with a groan. "But whatever this is, I don't like it at all." Theta walked ahead to catch up with her as Koschei followed, trying to pinpoint where exactly the other Time Lord was. Meona glanced back at Theta and tilted her head.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"I'm almost thirteen, Koschei's almost fourteen," Theta explained. "And how old are you?" Meona shrugged as she reached a tall wooden door. She pulled it slightly open and looked at the two boys intently.

"Okay, so you two have to promise that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to show you." Theta nodded quickly.

"Sure. We promise." The girl opened the door further to reveal a small room. In the middle was a large tank filled with what appeared to be an electrified, blue gel. Koschei strode closer, curiosity getting the best of him. He put a hand on the glass.

"What's in here?" he asked. After a moment of silence, his eyes widened as he made out the shape of several waving tentacles. He jumped back, ripping his hand off the glass as though it was made of fire.

"What?" Theta asked cautiously.

"It's a Dalek!" Koschei turned to the girl, grabbing her shoulders roughly. Glaring, he demanded, "Do you know how dangerous that thing is?!" The girl shrugged and pointed to the glass.

"It hasn't moved in years," she argued. "It's not dangerous."

"And why did you want us to see this?" The girl smiled slightly and moved to put a hand on the glass. Koschei grabbed her wrist, trying to get her to make eye contact with him. "What are you trying to do?" he demanded.

"K… Koschei…?" Theta asked, staring at the tank. The green, almost translucent tentacles were starting twitch, curling together and writhing about. Koschei glanced at the movement and, when he looked back at the girl, stiffened. Stretched across her young features was a deadly smile. Her thin, pink lips were twisted into a mimicry of a smile as she broke free of Koschei's vice-like grip with fluid ease. As she touched the glass, a high-pitched shriek filled the room, and the sound of cracking glass ripped through the air. Koschei stepped back as the small girl in front of him began to transform. She was suddenly taller than the two boys. She had long, white hair and red eyes. As she smiled, she displayed pointed teeth, like those of a shark.

"The Lost told me about you, Blue-eyes," she said, her voice a tantalizing invitation. The being spared a glance to Theta. "She said you were not to be touched, but I was allowed to do as I wished with the son of the politician." With snake-like grace, she slid behind Koschei and grabbed him by his hair. "And you do look to be just the right size for a mid-day meal." Theta stared in horror as the woman brought her sharp teeth to Koschei's neck.

The only thing that did not fit the scenario was Koschei's snide grin. He nodded to himself before looking up at the beast.

"We're taught all about the creatures of the universe, Titherian, do you really think that I'll just stand here and let you eat me?" The being gave a bob of her head.

"Well, your little companion over there seems too terrified to do anything…" At the mention of himself, Theta was ripped from his paralyzing state of horror to notice Koschei's gaze darting hintingly to the twitching, tentacle creature slowly moving on the floor. Without hesitation, Theta reached into the gooey mess on the floor and grabbed the beast by one of the bigger appendages. He flung it at the beast, the Titherian, and paused to survey what he had just done. The beast took one of her hands off of Koschei to block the incoming Dalek. Taking advantage of the small but sudden freedom, Koschei ripped his arm from her tight grasp and launched himself at Theta.

"Thete, let's go," he hissed, grabbing Theta's forearm and dragging out of the room. The two boys rushed out of the area to hear a thin voice murmuring from the behind them,

"Thete, let's go… Thete, let's go…" She was whispering what had just been said, and it was more terrifying than anything Theta had ever heard. Bewildered, Koschei risked a glance over his shoulder. The Titherian was close behind them with a wicked grin, but stuck to her arm was the small Dalek, chanting the last sentence spoken like a mantra. As the two wheeled into a larger hallway, Koschei grew concerned. The beast was gaining too quickly. Noting a small balcony to a lower level, Koschei sighed. He ran over to it and looked at Theta evenly.

"Do you trust me?" Theta nodded, staring at the incoming monster. With that, Koschei put his hands on the younger boy's chest and pushed him over the unprotected edge.

Theta landed on his side, not five feet below, with a groan. He looked up to see Koschei standing in front of the monster, arms crossed.

"Who is the Lost?" he demanded to the creature who was inching towards him, hands outstretched greedily.

"A Time Lady, Blue-eyes."

"And why does she want me dead?" Koschei looked down at Theta who was getting to his feet, obviously scrambling to try and help his friend.

"Because you grow up to be a murderer. The Lost can see into the future and knows what you will become." The Titherian looked down at Theta as she finished speaking.

"What about Thete?" Koschei asked, inching towards the unguarded drop-off behind him. "What did he say about him?"

"_She_ has said that he becomes a saviour. Your worst enemy."

"Sounds reasonable. Say, is the Lost here?" As soon the creature nodded, Koschei glanced over his shoulder and jumped off the balcony. Theta stepped out of the possible landing area and, the moment Koschei landed, he ran over to him. He hit the ground feet-first, but his knees gave out from the rough impact. The younger boy helped Koschei to his feet. The two glanced up to see that the Titherian was gone. Theta immediately put a hand on Koschei's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Koschei brushed himself off.

"I've had worse. So, let's get moving before Red-eyes catches up with us," he said, intentionally mocking her nickname for him. "And maybe find that Time Lady. I can feel that she's here, and she has a lot of explaining to d-"

"Koschei! Theta!" The two turned around to see Mekail hurrying over, holding a small gun. Koschei raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You don't believe in guns," he commented softly. Mekail gave no sign that he heard his son.

"I heard she was here. We have to get you two off of this planet. It's not safe." The older Time Lord glanced around the small atrium nervously. "Are you okay?" he asked to both of them as he started to herd them towards the nearest exit. Theta nodded vehemently, shocked that Mekail had cared to ask him.

"Don't leave yet," a calm voice begged from behind them. Theta whipped around to see a woman in her early forties standing on the other side of the atrium. She had curly, brown hair that reached down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a light green colour. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Ealli," Mekail said, almost a growl. "Leave them alone." At that, he protectively clasped his son and held his gun out, using the upper part of his arm to keep Theta close to him. The woman stepped forward, reaching a hand out longingly.

"He looks so innocent now," she lamented, her all-knowing gaze settling on Koschei. "But I've warned you before about him. You know what will happen to him. He will destroy entire planets without thought. He will be a monster." She paused, her expression hardening. "He is a monster." Mekail shook his head slowly.

"You're insane-" he started to argue.

"So is he," she retorted quickly, taking a few strides closer, now looking at Theta.

"Look how you've grown," she cooed softly, her smile becoming kind and maternal. "You have changed so much. Fifth in the entire Academy. There will be a time where you'll be second." Mekail raised the gun as a warning when the woman got within a yard of them. "And then you won't need the Academy any more…" She suddenly flashed a glare to the older boy. "Don't trust him," she hissed, to Theta, her hands balling into fists. "He will kill you."

"That is more than enough." Mekail said. "Koschei, take Theta back to the TARDIS and wait for me. The Lost and I must have a few words." Koschei nodded grimly to his father and began to lead the dazed-looking Theta to the TARDIS.

Mekail walked to his TARDIS, a weary look on his face. His son and his son's roommate were sitting by the console, talking in quiet whispers. He started pulling levers and plugging in new coordinates.

"Father, who was that?" Koschei asked, getting to his feet.

"An exiled Time Lady. She tried to kill a child and broke the most important laws of the Time Lords. She saw too much, and interfered even more," Mekail responded shortly. As the machine started up, it shivered violently. After a moment, Mekail walked back to the door and opened it. Theta looked at the red grass outside dismally.

"Are you coming?" Koschei asked to his father as he exited with Theta.

"No." Mekail pulled at a screen on the side of the console and began tapping on a map of Gallifrey. "I was told that I was needed in the South to help greet the new ambassador and his family."

"Who told you?" the boy asked dubiously. "That woman who tried to say that I would 'destroy entire planets?'" His obvious doubt was almost painful to Mekail, who knew that the Lost never told falsehoods.

"Yes."

"And you trust her?" Koschei demanded, baffled.

"Go inside and tell your mother that I will be home in time for dinner. And, Koschei," he added as Koschei began walking back inside angrily with the younger boy at his heels, "I have no choice. The Lost is all we have to stop this war."

_Next Chapter: Shadows of the Past_

_AN: I hope that that fulfilled the prompts! Thanks to NobleBea for editing! And sorry that it took me so long, but I've been having a really hard time with my fellow marching band section. In fact, I was informed that I had to put this joke in here, since I was considering moving to the percussion section-_

_I couldn't work on WWWY because I was too busy hearing the drums._


	20. Chapter 20

_Year Four- Chapter 20- Shadows of the Past_

Mekail stepped out of his TARDIS, adjusting his robes. He was greeted by two young Time Lords wearing cream coloured robes. They looked up at him solemnly. One of the two held out a small cord with a set of intertwined triangles hanging from it. Without a word, the older man put the cord around his neck and nodded to the boys.

"Caldin and his family await you," the older boy said, stepping to the side and motioning to a white-washed door towards the front of the room. Traditionally, the Southerners did not use given names, as the Northerners, and it took Mekail a bit by surprise for a moment. He nodded opened the door. In front of him was another white room. On the couch across the room, a man with short-cropped brown hair, a woman with long brown hair, and a petite girl between them.

"Guardian," the man addressed, motioning to a chair nearby, and using Mekail's given name out of respect for his culture. Mekail sat down, eyes locked on the couple and their child. "I assume that the Council was not impressed that you have visited us?"

"They don't know," the Northerner admitted, a hand moving to fiddle with the symbol around his neck. "Now Caldin, you do understand the pressure from the High Council. They want all Southerners out of the North. You are the only family that will be allowed past the borders now." The man nodded.

"I am aware. The Council was very explicit in their rules. Ennaila will have to come with us, and she was told she had to go the Prydon Academy, since it is the closest to the housing they are sending us to. I heard that your son goes there." Mekail nodded.

"Yes." After a moment of silence, Mekail looked to Ennaila.

"I feel that it is my duty to warn you about the racism in the North. It will not be easy for you." The small girl gave a solemn nod. Her face betrayed nothing about how she felt.

-Thank you, Guardian.- Mekail startled at the noise. The girl had not opened her mouth at all, but her gaze was on him, as though she had been speaking.

"You're a telepath?" he asked, looking to Caldin for an answer.

"Her mental connections with other Time Lords are enhanced. The doctors assume that, since she was born mute, her body adapted." Mekail nodded, suddenly noting the red triangle that was sewn onto the girl's shirt-sleeve- the label of a Time Lord with a disability.

"That is quite a talent, young one." The woman, Luacia, looked to Mekail, straightening her posture.

"Do you think that she will be safe?" the mother asked, as any mother would. She knew the answer was not one that she wanted to hear, but she was testing Mekail's honesty.

"I can give you no promises. But I will try my best to set up eyes and ears at Prydon." Caldin gave a small smile and stood up.

"I would have assumed that you already had people in the school to keep an eye on your son." Mekail waved a dismissive hand to cover his upcoming lie. Teachers and administration reported to him often through message boxes, and they were paid handsomely to keep the politician's son's antics quiet.

"I don't need to. Koschei can handle himself. Now, Caldin, I respect your family and your belief-system, but I cannot promise the safety of any of you once you are across the border. It may be possible that you will have to reconsider your passivity at times." While the northerner was speaking, Caldin walked to the back of the room where there was a desk. The eyes of everyone in the room were on him, curiously.

"Mekail, I have lived in the North in a previous regeneration. It was hell. And I am sure that is has only gotten worse, but if I my people want me to represent them on the Gallifreyan Council, I will not back out for personal safety reasons. As for Luacia, she is not weak. And Ennaila is not incapable in any manner." Caldin's tone was almost harsh as he addressed Mekail. "Our values are very different in the south. The greater good is held above personal gain, and one's loyalties lie with those they truly believe it. Our politics are simple and honest. The North is not the same, and I am aware of this fact, but we will do what it takes to protect our people." Mekail looked to his wife, curious to see her reaction to the vehement insistence of charging head-first into a battle-zone.

"Caldin is right," she said, noticing the politician's gaze. "This is what we have been chosen to do, and therefore we must do it." Mekail would never have admitted that he thought their brave actions were folly, but he would have told anyone that Caldin was courageous for even considering the future that lay ahead of him. Mekail stood up and nodded to everyone in the room.

"I will inform the Academy that they will have a new student when school starts again. And I will have Koschei find her somewhere to stay. And as for your accommodations as a family, we plan to locate you at the old Southern embassy near the Council Registry." Caldin opened a drawer and pulled out a small ledger. He handed it to Mekail.

"This is a list of demands made by the Southern government. I promise you that none of them are outrageous by any means. We would like you to present them to the Council before we arrive in Northern Gallifrey. And there is a specific clause in the third appeal that relates to our family and our protection. I voted against it simply to avoid liability for out wellbeing between governments, but it was passed anyway." Skimming through the ledger, Mekail asked cautiously,

"What does that clause entail?"

"The South has the right to declare war if a member of their ambassadorial family is maliciously hurt or injured. I was assured that it was merely for insurance to protect us, but I do not want a war, Mekail." It was then that the Northerner noticed something different about Caldin. At first he had simply appeared determined, but the look in his eyes was that of a man possessed. "I would die before I would let such a tragedy happen to our planet." Mekail closed the book in his hands and nodded slowly.

"I understand your sentiment. But are you really willing to risk your family?"

"He is not risking us," Luacia argued, standing up and leaving her daughter on the couch. "We are all fully aware of the consequences of our decision. And we all stand by it." Mekail looked to the small girl on the couch. She was even smaller than Theta was, and she was Koschei's age. He was immediately concerned for her. She seemed to be the perfect prey for racist Northerners. She had the olive skin of her people, light brown hair, and light blue eyes. She was smaller than any child her age, Mekail was sure. And she could not speak out against anyone. It was a perfect scenario for a political scandal.

"Ennaila, are you prepared?" he asked, looking at her intently. The child nodded, not making eye contact. Mekail's heart sunk. The Prydon Academy, teeming as it was with biases, family feuds, and racism, was no place for her. Both parents glanced to their child, but neither of them looked concerned.

"Mekail, you have to understand, she can force her way into the minds of others and control them if need be. She will be fine." The Northerner believed she had the ability, but did not ever think she would use it. No Southerner would ever resort to violence or invasion on such a massive scale. The girl would not last, he was sure. With a sigh, he turned to Caldin.

"I have to return home to take care of my son and his friend. I will make sure that Koschei watches out for her and finds her a suitable roommate. And I will present this to the Council," he promised, motioning to the book in his hand. "I was told to thank you for your bravery, but I feel like I should warn you about your madness." Caldin, expression hardening, gave a cold smile. It showed no malice towards Mekail or his warnings, simply pure determination.

"Trust me, I am no more mad than your son." A silence fell over the room, and Mekail returned the uncaring look to the other man.

"Caldin!" Luacia rebuked, turning to her husband. She looked back to Mekail, shaking her head quickly. "He did not mean it, Guardian. Please, go in peace. And thank you for everything you have done for our family." Mekail snapped out of his anger quickly, dropping into a casual passiveness.

"It is no problem, Luacia. Goodbye Caldin, Ennaila." He turned around, itching to pull the cord off from his neck. When he arrived back at his TARDIS, the boys who had greeted him were gone. He put the symbol of the Southern religion on a nearby table and opened the doors to his time machine. As soon as the doors were shut behind him, he took a deep breath. With a shake of his head, he started putting in the coordinates for his home.

_Next Chapter: Hydrochloric Acid_

_AN: I am so, so sorry about the time it took me to put this up, but finals are a bitch. I promise that I've returned to the normal posting schedule now!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Year Five- Chapter 21- Hydrochloric Acid_

Theta sat on the bench under one of the Academy's many silver trees. He smiled to himself as he saw a couple first-years walk by, obviously confused and overwhelmed.

"Where is the Maths building?" one of the children asked to someone in the back of the group. After a silence, Theta decided to help out.

"It's to the south, across from the Arts building." The children stopped walking and looked at him.

"Oh... Thanks," a younger girl towards the back of the gaggle said.

"No problem." As the group went on their way, Theta began to scan around the grounds for something else to do. The only thing that caught his eye was a small girl sitting on another bench nearby. She looked familiar. It wasn't her familiarity that surprised, Theta, though, it was her skin colour. His father had said previously that all of the Southerners had been deported over the summer. Koschei had mentioned something similar, at some point, as well. After a moment of curiosity, Theta couldn't stand it any longer. He stood up and walked over to her, clasping his hands behind his back nervously. "Hello," he addressed. She tore her gaze up from the book, startled. Her bright blue eyes widened in recognition. She let the book fall into her lap, the pages flipping closed by the breeze. Her hands moved in front of her quickly. "Um, I don't speak sign…" As Theta trailed off, he realized where he recognized her from.

"You were in the riot!" he exclaimed, a little too loudly. She nodded. "Were you okay after that?" he asked after a moment's pause. She nodded again, a small smile playing across her face. "So… How do you like the North?" At that, her face fell. She shrugged off the question and closed her book carefully, her gaze sliding to the ground. Awkwardly, Theta motioned to the bench. "Do you mind if I sit?" She shook her head, still refusing to meet his gaze again. After a moment of awkward silence, the boy sat down, angling his body so he could talk to her easier. "Is… there another way to talk to me?" There was a pause before she nodded. She opened her book and pulled out a pencil from a fold in her robes. She looked at Theta expectantly. "So, where are you rooming?"

_I have no roommate assigned to me. _Theta looked up, thinking. He knew that Millennia had a roommate already. Ushas, however, had accidently spilled chemicals on the last girl and was currently without a roommate.

"Hey," a boy called from across the small walkway. He looked to be in his seventh year. He was leaning against a tree, a malicious grin playing across his face. "Hey, whore, if you don't have someone to share a room with, mine's open." He winked and waited for her response. Theta noticed the girl's sudden blush and how she tried to make herself smaller. Theta knew what that felt like.

"Shut up," he demanded to the older boy, standing up. Theta was aware that he was good foot shorter than the seventh year, but he didn't care. The older boy pushed himself off of the tree and raised and frowned.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

"I said to shut up. She hasn't done anything to you, so just go away!" The boy strode closer using his height to try and frighten Theta.

"Do you know who I am?" he demanded, hands balling into fists.

"A bully?" Theta asked, suddenly unconcerned with the boy's size. He stepped to the side in an attempt to get the seventh year away from the Southerner.

"I am Torvic Halath." Theta blinked.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" he demanded. There was a moment of silence before Torvic threw the first punch. Theta ducked and slid to the side, avoiding the blow entirely. He had had plenty of experience with dodging blows."Leave her alone," Theta hissed, grabbing Torvic's arm and trying to wrench it behind the boy's back. Torvic used his other hand to grab Theta's neck and grasp it tightly, not enough to suffocate him, but enough that Theta's face grew red quickly.

"Put him down." Torvic turned around to see Koschei standing nearby, arms crossed.

"Why should I?" Torvic asked, hauling Theta off of the ground by his neck. "He's so small. I could just break a few bones… leave him with a couple reminders of what you get when you mess with upper-years…"

"Do that, and I will make sure that, for the rest of your life, you'll be curled in a ball in a sanctuary, screaming at fears you never knew you had, and talking to people who never existed." As he was talking, Koschei's eyes became rimmed with gold and his expression became more and more dangerous. He took a step closer. "Now, put my roommate down." Torvic dropped Theta to the ground roughly.

"I'll see you around, mutt," he snarled to Theta before walking away. Koschei got to his knees beside Theta, expression changing drastically from previous. He looked at Theta with concern. The girl, too, moved over, obviously worried for him.

"I'm okay," Theta said, immediately coughing. Koschei shot a glare up at Torvic before helping Theta back to his feet.

"Why did you pick a fight with someone two times your size?" Koschei demanded protectively, almost as if he were chastising Theta.

"He was harassing her," Theta explained, motioning to the Southerner. Koschei looked at her and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Shit, Ghost, you're not supposed to be here this early…" Koschei held a hand out to her. "I'm Koschei Mekail, son of the Guardian." She nodded and shook his hand.

"That's your name?" Theta asked, trying to smile at her. She quickly scrawled in the back of her book,

_My name is Ennaila Luacia, but my Northern chosen name is the Ghost._ Theta nodded respectfully.

"Then, hello, Ghost." Koschei looked back to the Northern Dormitories and then to Ghost. "Oh," Theta said, "Ghost needs a roommate. Isn't Ushas open? I know she won't be rude to her… Well, ruder than she normally is." Koschei didn't seem to hear Theta.

"I heard you're a telepath. Why are you writing things if you can just communicate that way?" Koschei asked, not unkindly. Ghost erased the last thing she had written and then added,

_I will not enter someone's mind without permission. _Theta smiled at her.

"If it means you can talk easier, go ahead. I don't think I'll care. My father says that there's not much in there, anyway." Ghost's eyes widened, as though she did not understand the joke.

"And you have my permission," Koschei added to Theta's statement. Ghost closed her book and pocketed her pencil.

-Hello,- she addressed, projecting it into both of the boys' minds. Koschei gave a small smile and shook his head in amazement.

"That is incredible." She blushed and simply turned her gaze to the ground. Koschei put a hand on her arm and motioned to the dormitory with his head. "Let's go see if Ushas doesn't mind sharing a room with you. Which I'm sure she won't. As long as you don't touch her chemicals." Ghost looked confused, so Theta elaborated as they started off.

"She's a chemist. A really good one, too, but she does a lot of experiments in her room, as well as in her classes." Koschei opened the door to the dorm and held it for the other two. Ghost shook her head slowly.

-Prydon is very different from my school in the south,- she noted.

"I can imagine," Theta said, glancing at the room numbers and trying to remember exactly which one was Ushas'. He had been with the Deca for a year and he still couldn't remember where everyone was.

"She's upstairs," Koschei reminded. Theta, who had never actually been there more than twice for a few Deca meetings, was still trying to sort out where exactly everyone was in the dorm. He knew that Millennia was on the bottom floor, along with Rallon and Mortimus, and Koschei and himself. Other than that, he had very little idea of where exactly the other members of the Deca were. After climbing the stairs, a message box bumped into Koschei. He grabbed it and scanned the message. "Really?"

"What?" Theta asked, trying to get a look at what it was.

"Apparently I still have to put in my request for a roommate. I'm assuming you don't want to move?" Theta nodded vigorously. "Then I'll go and take care of that. You go see if Ushas will room with Ghost." Theta nodded before Koschei walked back down the stairs.

-You do not need to trouble yourself…- Ghost tried to argue. Theta shrugged.

"It's not a big deal at all. Besides, having a great roommate is always a plus. And I think you'll get along with Ushas well. She talks a lot, and you don't. She's a bit obnoxious, and you're not… I think you two will work well together." Ghost simply nodded and looked ahead with worried eyes. Theta finally found Ushas' room after a few minutes of searching up and down the hallways and sniffing around for the tell-tale chemical smell that leaked out from the door. "Ushas," he called as he knocked on the door. There was a moment before the door opened, and Ushas poked her head out.

"Yeah?" she asked before her she spotted Ghost. She bit her tongue from asking about the small girl from the South was doing in a Northern school.

"Ghost needs a roommate. And so do you," Theta pointed out, not even attempting to be subtle about his approach. Ushas raised an eyebrow and opened the door further.

"Well, come on in," she offered. Ghost walked in behind Theta, looking generally overwhelmed and nervous. Ushas glanced around the room at the notes and beakers that covered every flat surface. "So, Ghost, if we shared a room, you couldn't touch anything. You see that green liquid over there?" Ushas pointed to a vial held over a flame on the desk on the far right. "If you shake it, it will create an explosion of photons that will permanently blind you through the rest of your regenerations." Ghost's eyes widened to an almost unnatural size.

"Ushas, don't scare her, she just needs to find someone to share a room with who won't treat her badly." Ushas looked at Theta and then at Ghost.

"Why doesn't she talk for herself?"

"Because she's mute. But if you give her permission, she'll communicate with you through her mind…" At that, Ushas' interest was piqued. She smiled and immediately began rummaging around her desk for a note paper.

"Go ahead," she offered to Ghost. "Talk to me!" Ghost looked to Theta, who promptly shrugged.

-I am not a science experiment,- she replied to Ushas, projecting it in nothing more than a whisper. Ushas stood there for a moment, completely uncomfortable with another presence in her mind. Ghost noticed and rescinded the connection quickly.

"Yeah, you sure aren't. That's creepy... Borusa says I'm not allowed to test with Time Lords." She paused, considering it. She had no problem with the Southern at all, other than the fact that she wished she didn't have to share her room with anyone in any case. "Sure, I'll keep her." Ghost gave a small smile at Ushas' scientifically contained enthusiasm. Theta looked between the two girls and nodded to himself.

"Well, I'll leave you two to work out all of the kinks." Ushas smiled to him and nodded.

"Sure. See you two at the next Deca meeting," she offered as he headed for the door. Ghost watched him leave, wishing he would stay. Ushas held a hand out. "I'm Ushas Imassa. And it's very nice to meet you, Ghost."

_Next Chapter: Lost Souls_

_AN: Thanks for reading, and I would always appreciate reviews and alerts!_


	22. Chapter 22

_Year Five- Chapter 22- Lost Souls_

Ghost gently held the bubbling vial in her left hand. It was emanating a gentle green light and noticeable heat. She glanced over at Ushas, who was furiously writing notes down on a tattered and stained notebook. The glowing of the blue liquid was sure that that was completely unnatural, Ghost felt. She shifted her weight to her other, slowly moving the vial further from her body in case it were to explode or have a similarly violent reaction. Ushas glanced up and bit her lip.

"Uh, I think you can put it down now…" Ghost quickly set it into the larger container that held other vials and stepped back quickly. "Don't worry, it's not reactive. Yet." The small southerner simply stared at Ushas. "What?"

-I'm not supposed to touch your chemicals,- she pointed out, motioning to the scattered supplies all over the room.

"Yes?" Ushas managed, trying not to react so violently to the connection this time. She then returned to her notes and scribbled more information down rapidly. After a moment, she glanced up at her roommate. At her worried expression, Ushas frowned. She had never considered her room to be cluttered or messy. Or if it was, it was nothing like Koschei's room where no one could move around without stepping on something sharp every few feet. And yet, Ghost had a point. One false move and half the dorm building would probably be blown to pieces.

"Huh," Ushas noted, glancing around. "Well, I don't think that any harm will come from all this." Ghost continued looking at the ground by her feet as Ushas paced around the room, thinking. "I could move some of the more volatile into chemicals Drax's room. He doesn't have to have a roommate, you know. But then again… He blows it up almost every weekend, so that's not a good idea either…" Ghost simply nodded, stunned. She did not know who Drax was, or why he would blow his room up so often. Ushas paused, noting Ghost's general lack of a reaction. "So, do you know how this all works? Not the chemistry," she added quickly, "but, I mean, Prydon…the Academy?" Ghost shook her head, looking slightly overwhelmed. Ushas glanced around for a moment before ducking under a desk, avoiding wires and tubes. She pulled out a worn book and opened it, skimming through the pages until she found what she needed.

"So, here's a layout of Prydon." She popped back up to her feet and handed the tome to the smaller girl. She pointed to the building on the top right. "Here's the Maths Building. Next to that is the Arts Hall," she continued on for a moment before grabbing a pen and writing the names of the buildings in her small, tight handwriting. "So, just carry this around with you, and you should be able to find all of your classes. I could probably ditch some of my classes for a day to show you around. Would you be okay with that?" Ghost smiled slightly and nodded. She looked utterly appreciative. She brought her left hand over her fisted right hand.

-This is the sign for thank you.- Ushas copied the motion and nodded, flinching at the connection yet again.

"Neat," Ghost looked up at Ushas. "So, I'm going to tell Borusa to get me out of my classes, and when school starts, I'll show you around. Wouldn't want you getting lost." Ghost walked over to the vial that Ushas had taken from her earlier,

Hurriedly, Ghost pointed to the glowing substance, panic on her face. The taller girl shut the book she had been writing in before and turned around. The liquid was bubbling and starting to overflow. Ushas jumped forward and grabbed it, looking around for a base to cancel out the acid.

"Shit," she hissed. "Ghost, the clear bottle there!" The Southerner glanced around and found a small bottle and ran it back to Ushas, who poured it into the still-bubbling chemical solution. As she poured it in, a loud hissing sound erupted. "Shit, shit, shit!" she moaned as the substance turned a dull green colour. Ghost reached a hand out to examine the burns on Ushas' hand.

"A whole week's worth of fermentation ruined!" Frustratedly, she set the vial into another holder and shook her head. She walked over to her journal and started flipping through it. "What did I do wrong?" Ghost, positive that she was unable to help, walked over to her bed and sat down on it. She pulled out an old book from her bag and began to read the first page distractedly. Every time Ushas muttered something or hissed under her breath, the girl looked up quickly before going back to her reading.

After not finding her mistake anywhere in her math or her procedure, Ushas threw the notebook across the room. The thud startled Ghost, who jumped slightly. Ushas walked over to Ghost and sat across from her, almost too close for a normal conversation.

"So, tell me about the South. What's it like?" Ghost's blue eyes darted around the room, almost positive that some cruel joke was being played on her; this roommate would be the death of her.

_It's kinder there, _Ghost wrote after she found a paper and pencil in her bag. Ushas propped her chin up on her hand, watching Ghost carefully.

"Yeah? But, what's the political system like? I hear that it's almost non-existent. Is that true? And it's also run by religion. What do you believe in? Is it strict? I read something about it somewhere… Don't you have a symbol called the Aminik? What does it symbolise? You know, Borusa spent ten years in the South in his first regeneration to learn more about your culture. Apparently, he thought it was very interesting. I can imagine, since it's so different from ours…." Ushas trailed off when she realised that Ghost was simply starting to nod in hopes that Ushas would stop prodding.

_Our politics are based on our religion. And yes, the Aminik is our symbol._ Ghost bent over and picked up the small bag that she had brought with her. She pulled out a single roll of paper and set it on her lap. _This is our religious text, _she scribbled, looking at the other girl cautiously. It was dangerous to trust a Northerner, Ghost has assumed, but as crazy as Ushas was, Ghost was sure there was nothing malicious about her. Ushas moved a hand out to it slowly, not wanting to insult Ghost if she wasn't supposed to touch it.

"May I?"

_You'll probably find it silly,_ Ghost wrote shakily then ducking her head to the side in embarrassment. Ushas smiled reassuringly.

"I'm just curious. I won't judge you or anything. I just find religion fascinating." When they made eye contact, Ushas noticed how hesitant Ghost really was. Ushas shrugged. "You know what; I'll wait to read it. Let's do something fun." She jumped to her feet, which shook the instable bed dangerously, and held her hand out to Ghost. "Come on, I'll show you around the grounds and show you all the fun places to be." Ghost stood up, grabbed her writing supplies, and straightened out her shirt before following Ushas to the door. "So, this door will only open for us, in case you didn't know that… Well, some of the Deca can get in, but they only ever do when they have permission. Otherwise I just dump something on them…" Ghost nodded. She had been given a small briefing before being sent to Prydon. Granted, she was too panicked to hear much of it, but she still remember what she did process, the door system being part of what she caught.

-Thank you,- Ghost signed, looking at Ushas intently. Ushas shrugged and gave a roll her eyes, but was actually rather proud of herself for remembering the sign.

"It's not a big deal. I needed someone to room with who would actually listen to me and not start playing with my chemicals. And so far, you're doing a considerably better job than the last girl. You know, she almost blew herself up when she…" Ghost's horrified expression stopped Ushas in her tracks. "Anyway, like I said, it's not a big deal at all," Ushas reiterated before walking down the stairs to the first level of the dorm building. "Oh, another warning, do not piss of the black-haired kid who you were with earlier. Koschei." Ghost inclined her head, almost as if in respect.

_He is the Guardian's son_, she wrote messily. She had never managed to master the skill of walking and writing at the same time. Ushas raised her eyebrows and nodded as though she understood what the other girl was saying.

"Yeah. And he's a little… nuts sometimes. So just stay on his good side." Ushas felt a little bad for speaking about her oldest friend like he was dangerous, but she wasn't going to deny that it wasn't true, either. As much loyalty as she had for him, she didn't want her defenceless new roommate to end up on his long list of enemies.

_His father put him in charge of me._ Ushas turned her head to the girl quickly, surprised.

"What?" she demanded.

_He was to help me around Prydon_, she mentioned. After a moment, her gaze falling to the floor again.

"Yeah, fantastic job he's doing," Ushas noted sarcastically. "He was just as bad with Theta… Oh well. At least you've got a couple people here who will stand up for you. Seems like Theta took a liking to you. Probably because he found a kindred soul. And the Deca will like you." Ushas backtracked when she remembered that Mortimus was part of the Deca. "Well, most of the Deca will like you," she correct. She opened the door out of the building and held it for Ghost. "Anyway, the best places to find me, or any member of the Deca, really, would be the library," which she pointed out as she was talking, "or the roof of the dorm building, or one of our rooms if we're having a meeting. I'll help you figure out where everything is, too. We still have a few days before school starts again." Several younger students who were walking by stared at Ghost and started whispering. The small girl pretended that she didn't see it, knowing that she could do nothing to stop it. Ushas saw this, though, and frowned.

"Hey, kids, did you know that it's rude to stare?" she asked, smiling dangerously and folding her hands carefully behind her back. One of the taller boys sneered.

"Go back to your own hemisphere, slut," he called to Ghost, who lit up with a surprising and unhealthy looking shade of red.

"Shut up until you have something pertinent to say, bastard," Ushas shot back, glaring at him. "And, for the record, history shows that all Time Lords originated from the southern part of the planet, so… you're just stupid." Ghost grabbed Ushas' arm, trying to stop her. The boy snarled something incoherent to Ushas and looked at Ghost.

"You don't belong here." With that, he walked away with the rest of the younger kids trailing behind him like sheep following a shepherd.

"Ignore them," Ushas encouraged the smaller girl, peeling her hand off of her arm. "They're ignorant. Not everyone in Prydon, or in the North, is like them, I promise." Ghost shrugged, letting her hands arms cross over her, shrinking forward slightly. She put her pencil to the paper and scrawled, _I do not belong here._

Ushas manoeuvred her way in front of the Southerner and stopped her from continuing.

"Listen to me, Ghost. They're stupid. And your parents are here to try to make things better. So you're doing the right thing. Ignore the idiots who think they're better than you and just be your best." Ushas took a moment to listen to her own advice. "Dear Rassilon, I'm mothering you," she noted comically, trying to lighten the mood. Ghost gave a shy smile and met Ushas' gaze for a moment. Ghost shrugged to prove that she did not mind. "Well, I'll try to avoid doing that again, I promise." Ushas put an arm around Ghost's shoulders and continued to lead her along the path to the library. "If nothing else, you can always throw things at the people who make fun of you…" Ghost gave a silent laugh and shook her head.

"What? You don't throw things at people in the South?" Ushas asked, only to get a small smile and a nod from Ghost. "Well, let me tell you- in the North, we hurl things at each other the way we hurl insults," Ushas replied, a fond grin stretching across her features.

_Next Chapter: Hemispheres_

_AN: Sorry for taking so long again! I was preparing to go to the Denver Comic Con, and that meant sewing my own costume and generally working my ass off. So sorry!_


	23. Chapter 23

_Year 5- Chapter 23- Hemispheres_

The whole of the Deca was crammed into the room that Koschei and Theta shared, entertaining themselves after one of their relatively informal meetings. They had already discussed the teachers they hated, the students they planned to toy with, and the projects they had been assigned. Vansell, Jelpax, and Millennia, ever the dutiful students, were working on homework, occasionally asking help from the children around them. Drax was busy playing with some new device of his, and Ushas was curiously watching over his shoulder. Mortimus was sulking and looking out the window. Magnus was talking to Koschei about politics and the situation with the Southern diplomats. Theta was brought into the conversation, since his father was in recently put in charge of the border patrols.

It was out of the blue, really. Everyone was quietly going about their own things when Rallon spoke up with a devious smile etched across his face. "You know," he said, getting everyone's attention immediately, "it's Millennia's name-day today." Everyone turned to look at the blonde girl, who was immediately blushing.

"Rallon," she scolded softly, ignoring the stares she was receiving from everyone. Ushas frowned and tapped on the floor beside her, thinking.

"Come on, you should have told us earlier," Ushas said to Millennia, thoughts racing. "Now I have no idea what I should get you. I know you don't need any more clothes… And you don't need any help with any projects…" At that, she shook her head at the other girl. "You're just cruel."

"It's not a big deal!" Millennia argued, blushing furiously. She ducked her head to the side slightly to glare at Rallon, and then shook her head. "Really! You don't have to do anything." As insistent as she sounded, everyone in the Deca was plotting her impromptu celebration. Magnus stood up and walked out of the room without a word, while Koschei started to glance around for anything that would make a relatively acceptable gift.

"Shush," Ushas instructed, noticing the smug look on Rallon's face. She turned to him with a frown. "If you have a gift for her, and you're just trying to show us all up, I don't care that you two are best friends, I will sneak into your room and let my most vicious rats out while you're sleeping." The threat wasn't empty, and Rallon knew it. He put his hand up in the air with a goofy smile.

"I just thought you all should know, since Millennia was planning on letting it pass without acknowledgement. And I knew that you all would never forgive me if I let that happen." Ushas crossed her arms and stormed out of the room, muttering something about having secret-keepers for friends. Drax, the only member of the Deca who seemed completely unfazed about being left out of the loop, looked up at Millennia.

"I'll make you one of my door-openers," he promised before going back to work on whatever it was that he had recently built. Millennia silently got up from where she was sitting on Theta's bed, walked over to Rallon, punched him in the arm, and then sat back down.

"I hate you," she muttered before returning to her papers.

"No, you don't," Rallon said, his small grin starting to grow larger.

"You're lucky I don't." Millennia started writing as though nothing had ever happened. Koschei pulled open the drawer on his desk and began pawing through the mess that had been crammed in there.

"Really, Theta?" Koschei demanded, pulling out a small book with a raunchy cover. Theta was laughing from his desk hysterically.

"I wonder how long it would take you to find that!" he said through his laughter, shaking his head. Koschei threw the book at his roommate's head before continuing to scrounge around for a gift. After a moment, he found something that would work. He pulled out a note with the equivalent, on Gallifrey, of about fifty Earth dollars. He walked over to Millennia.

"Best I could do on short notice," he admitted, holding it out to her. She shook her head softly.

"Koschei, really, you don't have to do anything, and that's quite a lot, and-" Koschei cut her off with a roll of his eyes.

"Listen, this is nothing. And, besides, it's your name-day, you should be allowed to have a little fun." After a moment of convincing Millennia to reluctantly take the money, Ushas burst in wearing a huge smile.

"For the record, if anyone in here ever insults my roommate, I will kill you. Ghost is the best." She pulled out a woven bracelet made of three different colours- red, orange, and silver, from her pocket. "Ghost said, well, she didn't say, well, you get the point, that these are considered the colours of the north. And she actually just made this! Anyway, she says… she hopes that you'll like it." Millennia gave a small, embarrassed smile and tied it on her wrist.

"Tell Ghost that it's lovely." Theta, suddenly curious, looked at Millennia.

"Why don't you want to celebrate?" he asked. He knew that he intentionally tried to forget his name-days, since all it was to his family was another day to berate him for being a failure. So, he understood wanting to avoid the acknowledgement, but he knew that that Millennia's family was very kind, or at least they had been to him when he visited once.

"It's stupid," Millennia said with a shrug. "And my sisters always make it a day about going about and doing things they like, assuming that I like it. I've found it's better just to ignore it."

"I thought you only had one sister," Theta noted, surprised.

"Three," she replied glumly. "They're triplets. And you've only ever met Ennaly because the other two are always out with their boyfriends. Anyway, I've just never been a fan of my name-day, so I usually just forget about it. Until Rallon here," she glared at him promptly, "thought it was a good idea to send everyone into a frenzy and tell them. Which was really unkind and unnecessary," Rallon ignored and started to fish around in his pocket. After a moment, he pulled out a silver chain. Dangling from it was a delicate red flower made of stones. Millennia's jaw dropped. "You didn't!" she proclaimed, eyes wide.

"I thought you might like it," he said, walking over to her and clasping it around her neck. She smiled at him and admired it as it hung around her neck.

"It's perfect…" Koschei rolled his eyes as the two shared a private smile and diverted his look.

"You two could always find somewhere else…" he offered, unsubtly. The two turned to him, both laughing and grinning as if they were the same person.

"Thank you," Millennia said, her smile brightening the entire room. "For everything." The room calmed down and the others went back to their work. Magnus opened the door, glanced around, and walked up to Millennia. He handed her a small box. She took it from him and opened it slowly, almost worried about what it would be. She paused when she saw what it was. There, in a pile of white, translucent paper, was a golden medallion. It had her family's symbol on it, a bird soaring. The small animal was enamelled in blue and green. Millennia plucked it out gingerly and looked at Magnus with silent appreciation.

"My father suggested that you might want it as a pin. " She flipped it over to look at the back. It was a pin, just as he had said. "I intended it for a holiday, but this seemed to be more appropriate," he said, walking back to his normal spot between the two desks and sitting down. He opened a book beside him as though nothing had happened. Millennia opened the clasp and pinned it on her shirt. With a glance to everyone in the room, she said,

"Thank you all. So much."

_Next Chapter: Return_

_AN: So, it was my birthday a while ago, and I was going to spend it alone, but my friends threw an impromptu birthday party for me, so I had to write this in honour of them. Also, it has taken me so long to update because I'm volunteering to help the evacuees from the Colorado Springs Fire. I know it may not seem important to you, but we could use all the help we can get. Monetary donations to the Red Cross or other similar organizations would be fantastic, if you could manage it. ~Shara_


	24. Chapter 24

_Year Five- Chapter 25- Return_

The whole of the Academy was milling around the dorms; some children were excited, some were nervous, and some looked as though they could not care less. Among those who couldn't seem bothered was Koschei, who was carting a large collection of books through the library into Borusa's room.

"Coming through!" he roared over the books that blocked his view. One of the tomes near the top was threatening to fall off of the stack, so Koschei tilted the whole thing to the side. Inevitably, the large collection began to fall. "In the name of-" Koschei cut off the rest of his sentence when he noticed that there were small first years watching him with wide eyes. He began pile the books back up from where they were scattered across the library floor.

"Looks like you got a bit of a mess there," Rallon noted snidely, looking up from a book at a table, not too far away.

"Yeah," Koschei replied with a roll of his eyes. "Care to help?" The taller teen took a moment to consider before standing up and stretching. By the time Rallon was on his knees helping, most of the books were already restacked. "Thanks," Koschei muttered, starting to pick the stack back up again.

"Come on, I was joking around." The black-haired teen did not look convinced. "So, what're all these for?" he asked, taking half of the books out of Koschei's arms and balancing them on his own.

"Borusa wanted to see all of my books about the south. Apparently he's taking a trip there to see if he can help the relations between up here and down there." At that, Rallon gave a solemn nod. Everyone was affected by the new laws that had been passed by the councils. No southerners were allowed to communicate with northerners unless granted permission by the lower councils. The borders were buzzing with law-enforcement, since no one was allowed to cross without permission from the higher councils. More and more laws were passed, and the hatred between the two hemispheres was growing exponentially.

"Huh," Rallon said slowly, watching the expressions of the children around them. The two walked into the room of their favourite teacher in complete silence. They entered to find Borusa leaning over his desk, a pair of glasses on his nose. He glanced up.

"Thank you, Koschei, Rallon," he said before looking back to his papers. He picked up a pen and began to write notes on the margins.

"Um, anything else that you'd like?" Koschei asked awkwardly, trying to edge out of the room. He had never seen his teacher so intent on something. Usually he was easily distracted and easily amused, but the serious expression on Borusa's face was surprising to the students.

"Uh, yes," he said, slowly raising his head up. "Could you bring in the southern ambassador's daughter? I want to talk to her."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Koschei walked out slowly, wondering what he wanted with the girl. "I'll go get Ushas to find her." He walked out of the room after Borusa gave a vague nod. Rallon followed him out, shaking his head the entire time.

"This is bad," he muttered. "The council might let him go, but they won't want him there. What If he gets… attacked or killed?" He looked sincerely worried. His mouth was twisted into a frown and his eyes remained downcast. Koschei quickly rejected the idea.

"No. The southerners are peaceful," he insisted. "They don't use violence like we do. My father spent most of his first regeneration in the south and he's told me that there shouldn't be a reason to worry about war. They won't fight because it's against their religion. Borusa should be fine." As insistent as he was, there was doubt and worry in his eyes. He wanted to believe it, but there was no way that a group of people who had been so badly treated would not strike out. "Besides, Borusa's a good guy. They've got to know that."

"Yeah," Rallon agreed slowly, wanting to believe that Koschei was right. The two walked back from the library to the dorms. "Do ya think that Ushas'll be in her room?" Koschei shrugged.

"She's either blowing something up or studying," he said, knowing that he was absolutely correct from experience. "So I think our best guess would be her room."

And that was where Koschei found her, but not doing what he expected. Ushas and Ghost were sitting on a bed, looking at a piece of paper. It looked well-worn, but also well taken care of.

"Wow," Ushas muttered. "I can't believe you actually live by these…" Ghost gave a small shrug and a shy smile. She pointed over Ushas' shoulder. The taller girl turned around and frowned.

"Rassilon, would it kill you to knock?" she demanded harshly, getting to her feet and glaring at the boys. "The whole point of a door is to keep out people I don't want to deal with when I don't want to deal with them." Koschei put his hands up defensively.

"Sorry, sorry. We just wanted you to know that Borusa wanted to see Ghost." A silence swept through the room. Ghost immediately looked nervous. Ushas looked suspicious, and the boys were trying to see what the whole problem was.

"The last time Ghost walked out of the dorm alone, some kid tried to throw a brick at her," Ushas informed agitatedly. "So, she's not going out unless one of the Deca is there to thoroughly berate and terrify them." Ghost ducked her head to the side when the boys glanced to her, shocked.

"I'm sorry," Rallon said, absolutely horrified. "Who was it? I 'll make sure that he's learned better." Ushas waved him off and walked over to the door.

"Dunno. One of the older years. And he was bigger than you, Rallon, so don't try something stupid." While her roommate was talking, Ghost put away the paper carefully in a drawer in her bed-stand and walked over to Ushas. "So, if Borusa wants to see her, we'll all be walking with her. And I will personally pour hydrochloric acid on anyone that pisses me off. Eight molar hydrochloric acid." Koschei's eyebrows shot up at the thought.

"You can't just… throw something lethal on people who annoy you," Rallon argued, trying to grab for the vial he saw in her pocket. "That's illegal. You'll get removed from Prydon!" Ushas deftly avoided him and rolled her eyes.

"It's called an empty threat," she argued. "It'll keep them at bay at least." Ghost, who had been silent the entire time, to no body's surprise, shook her head rapidly.

-Ushas…- she signed, trying to get her attention. The chemist sighed and tossed the vial onto her bed.

"Fine, fine," she conceded, starting to walk out the door rapidly. Koschei walked over and picked the vial up gingerly. He walked it over to one of the vial-holders on a desk and put it in there, hoping that it the cork hadn't been loosened. He followed the small group out of the room and shut the door behind them.

"One day, Ushas," he warned to his long-time friend, "something bad is going to happen if you continue to treat your chemicals like that." The girl rolled her eyes and didn't think she would not dignify him with a response. At first, he also doubted that Ghost was so hated among the student population, but it didn't take long for his worst fears to be realised. They stepped out of the dorm with Rallon and Koschei leading the group and Ushas standing next to her tiny roommate.

"Go back to where you belong," someone shouted as they neared the library.

"Fuck off," Koschei responded to the kid with a snarl. His father had put him in charge of Ghost and with every dirty look given in her direction, he was growing slowly more and more furious. "What is wrong with them all?" he demanded to Rallon. "Don't they get that she's just trying to help? That she's not the one who's causing problems? They are."

"They're just kids," Rallon noted, hoping that it would calm down Koschei, who was glaring at a first-year who was sneering at the southerner.

"Yeah, and assholes," Ushas muttered. Ghost's gaze simply remained on the ground. She hated to cause so much trouble and she truly felt as though she did not belong in the north. The only people who actually cared about her totalled to fewer than nine students in the entirety of the Prydon Academy. When they entered the library, the behaviour was considerably better. There were only a few children in the building, and many of them were too enveloped in their books too look up at the small group passing by them. Rallon opened the door and let Ghost into Borusa's room. Her eyes widened as she looked around. There were book, notes, and, on what she assumed as Ushas' desk, there were complex beakers and intertwining tubes.

"Hello, Ghost," Borusa said, smiling widely at her. "Thank you for coming." She nodded and moved her gaze to look up at him. "Why are all of you here?" he asked to his other students.

"Because Prydon hates her," Ushas muttered darkly. "And it's not safe for her to walk around alone." Borusa looked at the small southerner with a frown.

"But you can communicate telepathically…" He looked to the other three students. "I need to talk to Ghost about her home," he said. Koschei nodded quickly.

"We'll wait outside," he said, grabbing the other two and dragging them out. Borusa motioned to a desk near the front.

"I'm sure that Millennia won't mind if you sit in her spot." The girl walked over and sat down, wondering what Borusa wanted to know. "I need to know what to expect when I travel to your home. I know it's in turmoil, and I want to help in any way I can."

_Next chapter: The Past_

_AN: I am really sorry, but I've just been so busy and I'm working hard on getting the chapters up at all. Thanks for waiting and reading! _


	25. Chapter 25

_Year Five- Chapter 25- The Past_

The members of the Deca sat quietly in the library, all looking to each other awkwardly. Ushas had her nose in a book, but constantly looked at the door to Borusa's room. Koschei was obviously deep in thought, staring off into space, and Rallon was impatiently walking around the library. He began tapping his fingers impatiently.

"How much longer can they possibly take?" he demanded, not necessarily to the others. Ushas turned her gaze to him slowly. She rolled her eyes.

"We're waiting too," she reminded sharply, snapping the book shut. "And Borusa's trying to stop a war, Rallon. A war. It might take him days to know all the information he needs." Koschei cut her off from continuing.

"More like years. The Southern ideals are complicated and their nuances are difficult for even the most educated Northerner. My father said it took him five years to entirely understand and be able to practice their religion as an outsider. Besides, Borusa is just a teacher. He can't stop a war on his own." Rallon paused at Koschei's train of thought.

"Then what is he trying to do?" he asked. "If he can't learn everything that he needs to… What if he messes up? What if something goes wrong?" The teen began to rub his forehead with the heel of his palm. "Borusa could be killed." Ushas, ever the realist, snorted.

"Or worse. Start the war."

"War is coming anyway, Ushas!" Koschei snarled. "We've known this for years. Borusa is not going to stop it, the high council will not stop it, and my father is not going to stop it. The war started years ago, and it's just coming to life now. The only thing we can do now it cut our losses and create two halves of Gallifrey ruled independently until they can be reincorporated into one planet." To Koschei, the plan was very logical, and he didn't understand why his father had never suggested it.

"That will only cause more fighting," Rallon murmured. "Land, and people, and money… How do we split that evenly?" He shook his head mournfully. "No, it wouldn't work."

"And cut our losses? What does that even mean?" Ushas set the book on the table slowly, her eyes glinting angrily. "Are you saying that we should just… remove people who don't fit in with us?" Koschei met her gaze challenging. "Oh, you're really stupid, and I don't like you," she mocked, "You get that half of the planet, and I get this half."

"That was not what I meant," he intended to argue.

"Well, it was what was implied! Why should we do that? Everyone assumes that Southerners are crazy and stupid, but look at Ghost! She's brilliant." Rallon ducked his gaze before pointing something out.

"She doesn't understand ay of the science you've been trying to teach her."

"That's different!" Ushas roared. "Not understanding chemistry does not make you stupid! You haven't seen how she plans things or writes! That's why we need the Southerners! They're everything we're not, and we're everything they're not. Don't you see?" she asked, cooling down. "We believe in science and facts, and they follow a religion based on our facts. We value math and they value art. We can't have one without the other." The boys took a moment to take in everything that was mentioned in her short, but profound statement.

"We can't live in harmony; we haven't in decades," Koschei reminded. "We have always fought because we cannot see eye to eye. And how are we supposed to? We are almost two different species." The politician's son stood up and walked around, trying to remove some of the pent up energy from his body.

"And why can't we? Ghost and I get along just fine! She listens to me and I… well, watch her intently. What is so hard to accept about the Southerners? Is it that they look different from us? Because they think differently?" Rallon sighed.

"Because they are different. Do you look down on the rest of the Academy?" the tall boy asked softly.

"Ye… Well… It's not like… They're different!" she finally managed to spit out. "They're intentionally dense and bigoted and close-minded. Of course I look down on them! Why wouldn't I?" She glared at the boys.

"I'm just saying that everyone has reasons that they think are justified for thinking what they do, and they're not always right. Maybe some of the people you hate are just misinformed. Or maybe they're victims of the brainwashing that they undergo as soon as they enter academies," Rallon pointed out, glancing around the books on the shelf in front of him so he didn't have to meet Ushas' sour glare. Before she could make a coherent response, the door to Borusa's room opened and Ghost came out, holding a leather-bound book under her arm. The teacher stood behind her, smiling slightly.

"I heard yelling?" he asked fondly.

"We were discussing politics," Koschei mentioned, as though it explained everything; in fact, to the teacher, it did. "And it got… a little heated," he added when he saw the confused look on Ghost's face.

"Well, try not to let it get so loud that I can hear behind closed doors, next time." Ushas moved her chair back and walked over to Ghost with a smile.

"So, did you learn anything interesting?" Rallon asked the teacher, trying to regain his normal composure.

"Not much has changed in the South," the teacher lamented. "Which does not bode well for them. The Northerners are not interested in rituals and religion as they once were. Now we all have minds for metal and math." He took a moment to look at each of the students in front of him before continuing. "So, I will be leaving tomorrow for the South. I want all of you to behave yourselves for the man I have filling in. He has no idea what a handful you all will be, and I'm hoping that you won't change his standards either way, on that topic. Understood?" He received nods from the three members of the Deca present. He then turned to Ghost. "And keep up your work," he encouraged before walking off abruptly, looking as though something else important had come to mind and he had to attend to it urgently. Koschei stared after the teacher, shaking his head slowly.

"Well, then," he said softly, almost with a shrug. "So, I guess that he got all he needed to know."

_Next Chapter: Before the Dawn_

_AN: Sorry, I have marching band camp, summer homework, jobs, and a personal life to balance currently with fic-writing! I will hurry as best as I can!_


	26. Chapter 26

_Year Five- Chapter 26- Before the Dawn_

Koschei sat on his bed scanning the pages of a book, but hardly reading it. Ushas was sitting at his desk, tapping at the wood incessantly. The noise was driving Koschei up the wall, but he bit his tongue to keep from hissing a frustrated comment to the girl. After all, she had done his chemistry report that had been assigned over the break, and he was thankful for that.

"He should be here by now," Ushas complained, standing up and starting to pace.

"His dad probably just kept him home for longer than usual," Koschei offered, closing his book with a loud snap. He stared at Ushas, his mouth etched into the frown that he had worn every day since Theta had left for his father's house. She was wearing her usual orange shirt and brown skirt, but it was obvious that the latter had been hemmed to be longer than the standard issue.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing much," Koschei retorted and raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up."

"You can't sew." Ushas rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I can't, but Ghost can. I complained that the skirts were too short, and she took it upon herself to fix them for me. It was nice. And I did her maths homework in return. Of course, she put my work away and fully intends to turn in hers, which is almost entirely wrong… Well, she does understand the concept of inverse tangents, but when it comes to the concave representation of…" Koschei had learned through his many years of being friends with Ushas that once she started on a speech, it was better to block her out than try to stop her. When the door opened, however, Ushas stopped talking and her eyes lit up. "Theta?" she asked, moving to where she could see who had opened the door.

In the entrance stood the boy, but he hardly looked to be himself. Both of his eyes were blackened, and he wore a long-sleeved robe with a high neck, obviously to hide bruises. His lip was split and his hair was trimmed back to a military-style cut. Koschei stood up from his bed and walked over to the other boy.

"Thete, what happened?" he asked, still holding his book in his hands.

"Nothing," the younger boy responded tersely. Theta walked over to his bed and threw down the bag that he had brought with to his home.

"I'll be right back," Ushas said, edging out of the room, looking intent on something. Koschei was about to tell her not to do anything stupid, but dropped it. He knew that she would do what she wanted. She always had. She left with Theta standing, looking at his bed with his back to Koschei. The older boy was standing just as tensely, trying to get a better look at Theta.

"I'm okay," Theta muttered, pulling books and clothes out of his bag. "It's nothing." His voice was rough, as though he was trying to hide back more than just his thoughts. Koschei put a hand on Theta's shoulder, very aware that he could be hurting the younger boy.

"What happened?" he asked again, this time more forcefully.

"Nothing!" Theta yelled back, spinning around and glaring at his roommate. "Leave me alone! I don't want to talk about it, and if I did, I wouldn't talk about it with you! You don't understand anything about me or my family."

Koschei pulled his hand away, stung by the well-aimed barbs. Theta looked nothing like the boy he had laughed with not two months ago. That boy had been wide-eyed, giggly, and full of jokes, but the boy that had replaced him was angry, hurt, and filled with malicious intentions. His eyes were even changed. Instead of being bright, they were hooded and sunken in.

Anger rose within Koschei, as it often did, within seconds. His hands balled into fists and his eyes narrowed, matching those of the boy in front of him. "I don't understand," he said evenly. "But I want to know what happened."

Theta pulled up the sleeve of his robe and held his arm out to the side. It was covered in purple and black splotches. Scabs and cuts were etched up and down his skin in the sickest of ways. "That's what happened. My father does so hate the Mekail family that he decided to take it out on me. He demands that I get a new roommate, one that doesn't poison my thoughts. He demands that I return home every break now, every day that is possible.

"Is that a dog bite?" Koschei asked, noticing odd marks around Theta's wrist.

"Shut up!" Theta said, swinging his hand out to smack Koschei. The older boy, who had been in many a fight in his lifetime, grabbed Theta's arm, not caring about what bruises he hit in the process.

"I'm sorry about your father, but don't be angry at me."

"Don't be angry at you?" Theta demanded with an infuriated laugh. "How can I not be? You showed me a world where I could be myself, where I could have fun and think of my own ideas. And then you throw me back to him! And he reminded me that all of my ideas are worthless, that there is no world other than the one he built me! You made me think that I could do anything in the world, when all I am is a failure, the child that deserves to be locked away and thrown the scraps!" The silence that fell between them lasted no more than a few seconds, but it settled deeply onto both of them. Koschei's snarl, which had been rising to his lips, faded away and his fury was replaced with an even expression. He let Theta's arm go and shook his head.

"You're not."

"Excuse me?"

"You're not worthless. And you're not a failure. He can't rule your life. You can. And the moment you gave into him and believed what he said was the moment that you lost yourself." Koschei walked over to his own pile of clothes and rummaged around. He pulled out a book that his father had given him when he was young. He had tried to read it for years, and often asked for help, but his father would never read it to him. Mekail had told him that one day, it would mean more if he read it on his own.

Koschei held the leather-bound, ancient tome to Theta. "It's a history of the black hole." He shrugged slightly. "Which seems stupid, but… It's really a book of theory than an explanation of how we made black holes." Theta shook his head agitatedly and looked away from the other boy.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

Koschei took a deep breath and set the book on Theta's bed. "Just read it," he said before walking out of the room. Beneath his calm demeanour, he was plotting murder. Epsilon had taken his best friend from him and he knew more than one way to get revenge on a military man.

* * *

><p>Rallon and Millennia stood outside of the door to the room Theta was holed up in. The two were staring at Ushas uncomfortably.<p>

"This isn't a good idea," Koschei hissed from next to the girl.

"You shut up," Ushas demanded dismissing him quickly. "I need one of you two to get in there and talk some sense back into Theta. He won't listen to Koschei, and I'm worried about him." Millennia looked to Rallon and frowned.

"Ushas, I don't know that this is a good idea. He probably needs some time to adjust back to being here." The girl glanced to Koschei, knowing that there was more she wasn't being told. Koschei had come stomping into her room, muttering about the military. He had pulled out a message box he had hidden in Ushas' room months previous and sent something off to a higher ranking official in the Northern Gallifreyan government, putting it under his father's name. Afterwards, he had a smile on his face, a malicious and content smile.

"All of my ideas are good," Ushas reassured. "So who wants to go in?" Rallon shook his head quickly. He knew what Koschei had sent off; he knew what had happened to Theta.

"I'm not brilliant with… emotions. I think it'd be best to leave this one to Millennia." The three kids looked to the blonde girl, who seemed altogether reluctant.

"Fine," she acquiesced, "but I'm not promising anything." Koschei opened the door for her and let her go in, his grim satisfaction still playing across his face.

Millennia was shocked when she stepped into the room. The younger boy had taken off his robes and was sitting on his bed in a long shirt and pants. She saw the purple and black bruises first and winced in sympathy. Theta's eyes met hers and he looked up from the book he was reading.

"Let me guess, Ushas sent you?"

"Yes," Millennia said softly, moving closer to Theta. She sat down on Koschei's bed after moving some papers and clothes away. "You know, we care about you. All of us in the Deca." Theta looked back down at the page in front of him and made no comment. "And Koschei does, too, even if he doesn't seem like it. You're one of the best friends he's ever had, you know, and he just doesn't quite understand how to show that…"

"Mm," Theta responded noncommittally.

"You… You should ice that," she said, motioning to his arm, but mostly to his entirety. When he refused to respond, Millennia sighed. "Theta, won't you talk to me?"

"I did, and I am," was the concise reply. She sighed. Theta reminded her so much of Koschei when he was hurt or mad. No wonder they got along so well, and could get on so horribly on occasion.

"Theta-Sigma," she avoided using his last name, his father's name, knowing full well who had caused the boy all of his pain, "just remember that we're here for you."

"And what does that matter?" The younger boy looked up from the book, his eyes peering emptily at the girl. His anger was well-hidden, but still Millennia saw it with ease.

"It matters because we are your friends. And if you can't talk to us, who can you talk to? A book?" She raised her eyebrows and continued, "We'll help you with whatever you ask us to do, but if you sit there and keep quiet, how will we know what to do? We were all worried about you while you were gone, Koschei most of all, and now he just wants to help you. So just say what you need, and we'll get it for you."

"Do you really want to know what I need, Millennia?" Theta asked slowly. She nodded, not knowing what to expect.

"I need you to leave me alone. I need Koschei to leave me alone. And I need Ushas to mind her own business. If you think you're helping me by staring at my bruises and giving me words of comfort, you are very mistaken." Even if he tried to hide it, Millennia heard the pain in his voice. "You can go back out there and tell Ushas to go away. You can tell Koschei that he has never really suffered, and that he can very well go about shutting up about everything, or I will request a new roommate immediately. And you," he locked eyes with her fiercely, "can tell them that, word for word, after you leave. Now."

The girl stood up slowly and took a deep breath. She wasn't mad at him, she told herself. She wasn't upset at him. She was sad for him. She spared Theta another glance before walking out, down the hallway.

"I'm sorry I bothered you," she whispered before heading out of the room. When she closed the door behind her, the expectant gazes of the three were settled on her. "No luck," she admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's okay." Millennia looked to Koschei quickly, surprised at his uncaring tone. "By tomorrow, I'll have had my revenge upon the bastard."

_Next Chapter: The Dawn_

_AN: I forgot how fun it is to write for the Deca. So sorry for the hiatus. I'm going to try to update regularly now, but no promises. If one of you lovely readers would like to sign up to be my personal alarm clock for this story, that would be fantastic. I just need a little pushing to get things done, I suppose._


	27. Chapter 27

_Year Five- Chapter 27- The Dawn_

_He was there again, in his father's grasp. Epsilon was yelling at him, punching him, willing him to die. Theta struggled weakly, knowing that he could do nothing but accept the attack. His father's face was so close; Theta could smell the alcohol on his breath as he spoke. "You're dead, boy, you know that? No one will care. No one will come hunting for your little broken body." _

"_No. Koschei would come looking…" His denial was quickly cut off. _

"_You know why that boy keeps you so close? Because he's going to use you. That's what politicians do. They use people." Epsilon was whispering, which was only making Theta more scared. "He's been raised by Mekail to trick people. And he's mad, too. His father let his illness go on too long. One day, you'll wake up, and his hands will be at your throat. " _

_That was when the man forced Theta against the wall with his hip and reached his hands up. The thick fingers slowly curled around his son's neck. The man enjoyed every moment that he took before Theta was gasping for breath, his face turning blue. _

Theta jolted awake in a cold sweat. It was a disgusting feeling that sank into his bones. Without a moment's hesitation, he threw off the blanket that was wrapped around him so tightly that he could hardly move. When he made his way off the bed so quickly that he was gasping for breath, he noticed that he had woken up his roommate.

Koschei was staring at him with an unreadable gaze. His blue eyes were focused on Theta's face.

"You're up," he stated. His voice was entirely even, but Theta tensed.

"Shut up! Stop mocking me!" Pain leaked through his words. Theta didn't realise that he was standing, huddled into himself as best as he could, with his arms wrapped around his torso. Koschei's brows furrowed.

"Mocking you? What makes you think that?"

"Because you're mad! You're insane, and it's a wonder that they even let you live! Don't you think I see it? I see that there's nothing behind your eyes! You're empty! You're a monster!"

No one would ever have known what Koschei was thinking. His expression did nothing but return to a mask of apathy. Koschei calmly took the words to heart, because he had heard them over and over. He heard them whispered, shouted, and hissed. He had heard them from strangers, allies, and from his friends.

"Go back to bed, Theta," Koschei offered.

"You're a right bastard. Spoiled little bastard." Theta only went back into his bed when Koschei turned his back to him. The older of the boys was glaring at the wall, clutching his hands tightly into the sheets around him. Those words tormented his mind through the night. The words chased sleep from his mind. The words made him desolately reserved.

Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. What else would cause the beats in his head? Koschei stood up when he was sure that Theta was asleep again. He heard the younger boy begging for mercy under his breath and fighting with his blankets. Koschei walked out of the door, still in his loose-fitting shirt and pants. He walked down the hall until he reached a familiar room. Without a hassle, he opened the door. He had long ago overridden the settings to Ushas' room.

"Who the hell is that?" Ushas always had been a light-sleeper. Koschei had a vial of chemicals held to his face within a few seconds. He did not doubt that they would be lethal.

"Koschei Mekail," the boy replied dully.

"Get out."

"Make me."

"If you think you're staying here, you're insane! If any of the teachers catch you, you'll be suspended. Or expelled. Not even Borusa could get you out of it. Not even your father!" Koschei didn't care. He shut the door behind him. Ghost, who seemed to have been awoken when the boy entered the room, stood up. Her eyes were wide with surprise. She looked between Ushas, wondering if it was normal to have boys come into girls' rooms late at night.

Koschei walked over to Ushas' desk and sat down in her chair. Ushas was frustrated, yes, but she saw the look on Koschei's face. Most would have thought that he was simply thinking. She knew better. He was obsessing. "What happened?"

"Theta's got it all figured out," he spit out brutally. "I shouldn't be alive. They Time- Lords should have killed me as soon as I told Mother about the noise. They should have just fixed it all then and there." Koschei ran a hand through his hair, viciously, as though trying to tear through the skin.

Ghost looked horrified, but Ushas knew how to deal with the boy that she had been friends with for so long. She had seen him punch brick walls, scream at the sky, and threaten to kill people. She knew what to tell him.

"Koschei, you're making this about yourself," she lied. "Theta's been practically tortured for a month and a half and you're listening to what he's saying? That's ridiculous. He's your friend, but his father's made him forget that. Just… give him time." The boy looked at her. He threw his fist down onto the wood in front of him.

"Dammit, Ushas, I hate that man!" Within seconds, his expression changed. He was viciously hungry for violence. "What was it you threatened me with when I came in?"

"Six molar HCL?"

"How hard would it be to put in a military man's drink?" Koschei had picked up the vial and was examining the clear liquid. Actually, it had a blue tinge, but he knew that Ushas colour coded all her work when she had several projects going on at once. The girl snatched it away from him, glaring.

"You can't kill someone, Koschei. That's illegal."

As the two glared each other down, Ghost took the vial away from Ushas and put it back where it belonged. Koschei snarled something incoherent before standing up. "I'm not going back in there. His father taught him how to aim his barbs well." Ushas looked at him and then at her hands. She would not talk to him. Rassilon knew what he would say to her. He knew a lot about her. She didn't want to hear him insult her. If he attacked Koschei with what he feared the most, Theta definitely would get to her.

Ghost signed something from the other side of the room. Ushas saw it from the corner of her eye and shook her head. "You're not going to talk to him. He'll just snarl something caustic at you. And probably insult your heritage. Besides, he doesn't speak your sign-language."

And yet, there was some merit in it. Theta could hardly hurt Ghost, other than attacking where she came from and her religion, and though Ghost was sensitive about those topics, it was nothing she hadn't heard before. And Theta wouldn't hurl insults at her, Ushas felt. There was something there that seemed to keep her safe. "How are you going to communicate?"

Ghost walked over to her bed and pulled a notebook out from under it. She had a pencil in her hand and small smile on her face, trying to encourage Ushas to let her try her hand in talking to their friend. Theta had been called away not long after she arrived, but he had been kind to her before. _If nothing else, he let me enter his mind when we first met, _ she wrote on the paper and handed it to Ushas.

"Ghost, don't do it." It was Koschei's turn to be worried for her. "He's like a wounded animal right now. He's just threatened by anyone, no matter their intentions." Ghost shrugged. She really didn't care. He could not say that much to her that could hurt her, from what he knew of her. "This is not a good idea," Koschei directed to Ushas.

"I'm pretty sure Ghost will be fine."

* * *

><p>It was morning and Theta had two hours before his first class started. He didn't care anyhow. As much as his father had beaten it into him that he needed to retain his standing among the ranks, his father had beat it further into him that he was worthless and useless. Theta really felt the urge to do nothing. So he simply curled up on his bed and waited until his first class. He heard a knock on the door and spit out, "Go away! I don't care about any of you!" He almost slipped and said <em>anything<em> instead of _any of you,_ but he saved himself quickly.

Without regard to what he had said, he heard the door opening. He threw the blankets over his head, ignoring the part of his mind that was reprimanding him for being so childish. The door closed, but there was no voice. Confused, Theta waited a moment, wondering if Koschei had grabbed something and left. He pulled the blanket down to see Ghost standing at the foot of his bed, staring at the floor. Her hands were folded in front of her, making the girl look even smaller than she already was.

Vile words rose like bile in Theta's mouth. He wanted to spit venomous hate at her; he wanted her to feel his pain. And yet he could not bring himself to day anything other than, "Sorry. I didn't know it was you." She nodded, still refusing to meet his gaze.

-May we talk like this?- she inquired cautiously. She was prepared to leave his mind the moment that he denied her. But for some reason, he nodded his head.

"Sure, it's easier for you." The words Theta wanted to say were holed up within him. He thought them to himself, but he couldn't voice them. She had suffered before; he saw it in her eyes. Perhaps she had suffered her whole life. She understood what he was going through.

-You hurt Koschei.-

The words settled heavily in the air. Theta tore his gaze from her to look at the wall. He didn't want to think about what he had said to the other boy. Hadn't it all been true? Koschei was insane; he was declared insane by the government. And most children that were deemed dangerous were killed on Gallifrey within their first few years of life. It had all been true.

"He hurt me. It was fair."

-How?-

"He's using me. That's what they all do. They use us." Ghost looked entirely confused.

-They? Us? Who are you speaking for? Who are you speaking about?- They were honest questions. She hardly even understood what the boy was trying to say.

"Politicians! Manipulators! They want to hurt me!"

-You said 'us' earlier.- Theta bit his tongue. His father had used the pronoun to encompass the family, and Theta had not meant to do it. He wanted nothing less than to be similar to his father.

"Me. Koschei wants to hurt me." Ghost shook her head, growing slightly bolder.

-He's your friend. Why do you think he would want to do that? And now you've hurt him, and he doesn't want to come in and talk to you. He even borrowed Ushas' textbook on Gallifreyan Mammals to avoid coming back into your room.- Theta felt another flicker of remorse. He had lashed out. But he still felt the pain in his ribs where his father had kicked him time and time again.

He was scared. Ghost felt it. Theta knew it. He was scared of being hurt again.

Ghost moved quietly and sat down on Koschei's bed. The two made eye contact slowly. Ghost knew the look of one who had been destroyed, and Theta had that look in his eyes. Theta saw in her someone who had never truly had anyone to rely on. She understood him. How similar they were...

"Can... Can you tell Koschei that I'm sorry?"

-No. It would be better if you were to tell him next time you saw him.- Ghost may never have had true friends, but she did know that Koschei would only accept the words if they came directly from Theta. The boy's mouth hardened into a straight line. He dug his hands into the sheet beneath him. It was soft. It was warm. The fabric was old and worn; there was something reassuring about it.

Theta was positive that Koschei hated him and was still wary of the boy. His father had drilled so much into him over the six weeks he had spent locked in his sparse room only to be take out for beatings. He could not forget the words his father made him repeat every day. _The Mekails were dangerous. _

And it was true. Theta did not know that, as he sat morosely across from Ghost, his father's house was being torn apart, and his brothers were crying for the men breaking apart their house to stop.

_Next chapter: Piteous_

_AN: Sorry! Working on keeping these weekly, but I'm not quite succeeding!_


	28. Chapter 28

_Year Five- Chapter 28- Piteous_

Koschei was grinning. It wasn't an ordinary grin that any child should have. It was not a smile of joy or playful fun, or even one of mischief. No, this boy was grinning with complete and utter schadenfreude. The adults around him were worried, some were beginning to wonder what was so wrong with the boy who, even under duress was giving suave responses and convincing people that he was nothing but innocent.

Around him, there was the buzz of hushed talking, both personal and political, but it all revolved around the Mekails and the mysterious message that had been sent out with the politician's name on it. The message that had wrecked the house of the Numeral. There was no way to tie anyone to anything, since the message cube had been reported missing six months previous, until it turned up ordering a search of the Epsilon house for possession of dangerous materials. None were found of course, but there was a considerable amount of blood found on the walls of the room of the eldest child. Epsilon shrugged it off saying that Theta often demanded attention in rather inappropriate ways.

And in the middle of it all sat the black-haired boy with blue eyes who was smiling. He knew that he was safe. He knew that he had gotten nothing but a small taste of sweet revenge. Koschei was comfortable in the council building, because he knew it inside and out. After all, his father had often brought him there to play, back when Koschei was a younger child, and Mekail had to attend a council session. As the crowd died down, Ushas walked up behind Koschei and tapped his shoulder. He turned around slowly, expecting it to be another person asking him a question, or worse, his mother telling him that he needed to eat something so he didn't get sick. He hadn't eaten in a day and a half. He had more important things to do than _eat_.

"You need to come with me," she said, her voice betraying nothing. She was wearing nice clothes in comparison to what she normally had. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, but curls fell out in masses. She was wearing traditional robes that belonged to her status, that of a student, which she abhorred with a passion.

"You look nice, Ushas Imassa," The compliment was spoken freely with a winning grin and enticing charm. Ushas rolled her eyes. His tricks with words had never impressed her.

"You've looked better," she shot back, clamping her hand down on his shoulder. "Quit being an arse and come with me. Theta's having a panic attack or something."

That halted Koschei's façade than anything else could have. He stood up quickly, turning around to face her. "What happened?" he demanded fiercely. The adults closest to him muttered among themselves louder. The boy was volatile and dangerous even if he looked so naïve.

"His father talked to him for a minute in the hall, and Theta left really quickly. He was really pale. And now he doesn't want to talk to anyone. He won't leave the small office he's holed up. Rassilon knows whose it is." Koschei gave her a small nod, an acceptance of the challenge. Ushas turned on her heels and walked down hallway after winding hallway. She knew the building almost as well as Koschei, not because her parents worked there as the Mekails did, but because she and Koschei used to tear up and down the corridors laughing and chasing each other, waiting for sessions to be over.

Ushas stopped in front of a thin, wooden door silently. Koschei rapped on the door. "Theta?" There was no response. If he hadn't been told otherwise by Ushas, Koschei would have thought the room to be unoccupied. "Theta." It was no longer a question but a demand. "Theta-Sigma, are you okay?"

"Go away," Theta begged brokenly.

"Tell me what happened."

"Leave me alone!" Ushas and Koschei shared a glance between them. Ushas was warning him that this might be something better left untouched. Koschei was warning her that she should not interfere with what did not concern her. She sneered at him, more in frustration than anything else and pointed a finger at his chest.

"You listen here," she hissed. "He's my friend too, and if you make him worse, I will make sure that your parents hear about everything that you do at the Academy."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would. You don't have control over me, Koschei Mekail, and Theta's hurt." Koschei's gaze darkened, but he nodded slowly. "Now, I'm going to walk away and come back in ten minutes." The girl shook her head, muttering about how much she hated boys, and walked back down the way they had come. When he felt that they were alone, Koschei pulled out a small metal chip from his pocket. It worked as a key on doors in the council building, and since it was his father's, it would open any of them.

When Koschei opened the door, he saw Theta huddled in the corner, hugging his knees. He had tearstains tracing down his cheeks, and his old bruises and cuts were showing more than he normally allowed. Koschei walked in slowly and shut the door behind him. He was not about to let some stranger see his friend like this.

"Theta?" he asked. He was no longer manipulative, no longer trying to get his way or look like a perfect child. He was only concerned about the younger Time-Lord across the room.

"He's going to kill me, Koschei… He thinks that I sent that message." Theta brought the heel of his palm to his face and tried to wipe away tears that were no longer there. "They killed one of his dogs, you know. Father always said that he was the best hunting beast he had had in years. They burst in, and the dog attacked one of the men. They killed it. And Father blames me. He told me that he was going to kill me the next time I came back home."

Koschei moved, inch by inch, so that he was next to Theta. He sat down slowly, as though Theta was an animal, likely to startle at any loud noise or sudden movement.

"He won't." It wasn't an empty promise. It was a decisive guarantee. Koschei's eyes, only for a second, were rimmed with gold. "He will not hurt you again."

Theta let his head rest upon one of his drawn-up knees and shook his head. "I just want him to kill me, Koschei. I don't want to have to worry about him anymore… I don't want to… hurt you again." That was when the two made eye-contact.

"You didn't," Koschei reassured. "I've heard it all a million times before. And half of those were from Ushas. It didn't hurt me at all." It was a lie. Koschei had felt as though he had been laid bare for the last day and a half. He had never expected a friend to hurt him like that, which only made it all the worse.

"I know you're lying." Theta let out a small breath.

"I thought I'd gotten good," Koschei lamented, trying to tease. Theta let out a small chuckle, but winced instantly, a hand shooting to his chest. Koschei leaned in quickly.

"What is it?" Theta turned his head so that he was facing the wall, not his friend.

"I tripped or something." Koschei frowned.

"How bad?" He knew that Epsilon had done whatever was causing Theta pain. He didn't even care to wonder why Theta was still lying for the man. Theta shook his head; he didn't want to mention anything to Koschei. He didn't want to mention anything to anyone. "Theta," he said more forcefully. "How bad is it?"

"Just my ribs…"

* * *

><p>Callia took one look at the cuts on Theta's face and forgot her fury at her son. All thoughts of punishment were gone, replaced by her instinct to comfort the boy who looked so broken. "Koschei, you go tell your father to get a medic. We need someone who actually knows medicine." Not for the first time, the Time-Lady was incredibly grateful that Ushas warned her about the things that Koschei did when he was getting out of hand.<p>

The young girl had come to her not long after she saw her son leave, and told Callia that Theta was injured from his father and needed help. Of course it was dangerous, politically, for Callia to be anywhere near Theta, but she didn't care. The boy had suffered quite a lot, if she knew Epsilon, and she was sure that she knew the man well.

"It's not that bad," Theta tried to argue as Callia moved his arms to make sure none of the cuts were infected.

"Koschei mentioned your ribs…" Theta shook his head tensely.

"They're fine!" he reassured quickly, looking more terrified than any child should. Callia frowned, knowing that Theta was more afraid of his father than he was about not healing correctly.

"Theta, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to make sure that nothing's going to happen to you. Do you trust me?"

Theta thought it was a stupid question, but he dared not even thinking it much. He didn't want to anger another adult. He did remember, though, how kind she had been when he was at her house. She had insisted on getting him clothes; she had even fed him. She treated him like he was important. Theta wished that she was his mother.

"Yes."

"Can you remove your tunic so I can check on the bruising?" Theta hesitated for a moment, but knew that she was trying to help. He raised the hem of the fabric he had thrown on not long before, when his father grabbed him by the hair and demanded that he get ready to meet some members of the council that was supposed to rule on what had happened in his home. As he held the fabric to his side, he became aware of how unnatural the colours were that had been splashed up and down his torso.

Green and yellow painted his shoulders, where his father had originally preferred to hit him, but his chest itself was covered in what seemed to be one large purple stain. Callia gently pressed around his ribs. When she reached his left side, Theta hissed out a breath.

Callia had seen so much in her life. She had seen war and death and destruction. She was a Time-Lord; those things were everyday occurrences. But what she saw in Theta's eyes hurt her more than any blade ever could. He was scared, lost, alone, and, worst of all, resigned to his fate. She pressed gently above where she thought the worst injury was.

Theta said nothing. He knew that she had found the rib without him having to complain. He was used to pain. It was nothing new. It hardly even hurt compared to being thrown down a flight of stairs or being beaten or spending the night outside with the dogs in the cold Gallifreyan fall.

"Theta, you have two broken ribs." The boy looked at her, as though it meant nothing to him. He already knew that he was injured, but he didn't care before, and her saying it did not cause him to care any more than before.

"It's okay. They don't really hurt." He was about to pull on his shirt again, more ashamed than anything else, when Mekail came in, his face dark and his eyes promising violence. The expression itself made Theta tense and push against the wall behind him.

"Mekail!" Callia barked. "You're terrifying him!"

The politician looked at Theta and paused. When Mekail was nothing more than a soldier, back in the very beginning of his career, he had seen the same expression that haunted Theta's face; when too-young Time-Lords were sent into battle and seen their own death as inevitable, they had the same resigned and empty look.

"Theta, did your father do this?" Mekail eyed the bruise that stretched from the boy's hips to his neck with calm fury. Theta shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with either of the adults.

"Don't lie," Callia murmured. "I don't care what the councils will say about us speaking with you. Your father will probably say that we coerced you into speaking against him. I don't care. I want you safe."

Theta looked at her for the first time since Mekail had come into the room. She had pity in her eyes. He knew, even if only for a moment, that there were people who were looking out for him.

"Yes."

_Next chapter: Bad Blood_

_AN: Today's update was brought to you by {__the letter Q_} _my friend (who goes by Millennia.) It's her birthday, and since I can't give her anything worth anything, I promised I'd update WWWY for her. Happy birthday, dear! And I hope the rest of you all like this update!_


	29. Chapter 29

_Year Five- Chapter 29- Bad Blood_

Koschei looked at Theta, who hadn't spoken a word in hours. The older boy wanted to try to speak comforting words, or at least tell him that he was sorry for calling the men to investigate Epsilon. The longer he stared at Theta, though, the more he found that he could not think of the words to say. He wasn't really sorry. He wasn't really concerned about his own actions in the slightest. Every time he constructed a thought, he tore it down, sure that Theta would take offense to it, or simply hate him more. The tension between the two was almost tangible.

Theta, on the other hand, was numbly staring at the floor with an expression of general disinterest. He wasn't concerned that the tile was cracked on the corner, or that it wasn't even a perfect square. No, he was worried about the voices he heard coming from the room over. Where Mekail and another man on the high council were arguing over what was to be done with the young boy. He was scared, so scared that he couldn't move from where he was. His hands were balled tightly on his lap, his head was bowed.

"I'm sorry," Koschei lied to break the heavy silence. It was suffocating, and even a hollow lie was worth speaking to fix it. "I just wanted him to get what was coming to him. And hopefully he would get put in jail, and I thought that…"

Theta's head snapped up from the position that he was in. His eyes were aflame with anger and panic. "Did you once think of me?" he demanded through his teeth. "Did it ever occur to you that this would hurt me?" The small boy scowled.

"I was watching out for you! He did that to you! Not me!" Koschei shot back, standing up quickly to defend himself. There was nothing that he wanted more than to do the same to Epsilon, as the man had done to his son. He was furious. He was furious for Theta.

Theta's neck muscles tightened and his jaw clamped shut. His eyes went back to the not-quite-square of the tile. "Yeah, but I never trusted _him_." The words came out bitterly soft. Koschei felt the pain in each of the words.

"What did I do to betray you? I just want you to be safe, Theta," Koschei said, calming down. "I just want you to be okay. Look at your arms. And your chest. I couldn't just let him get away with that! You don't deserve that! And the worst part is-you listen to him. You believe everything the bastard tells you."

"You don't know anything! You're taken care of and everything! Your parents feed you and love you! How do you know what I'm going through? How can you act like you care?"

"Because you're the closest thing to a friend I've ever had!"

Theta, who had a biting remark fully prepared and on the tip of his tongue, stopped suddenly. He blinked once. Twice. "What… What about Ushas?" he asked softly.

"She's more like a sister to me than a friend," Koschei admitted. He looked at his feet, a blush rising to his cheeks. "You're nicer to me than most people. And you don't constantly make fun of the… you know…" He tapped the beat of four against his leg, still not maintaining eye contact. "So, yeah. I can care about you, okay?"

"I'm… I'm sorry. I called you crazy."

"It's okay. You're not the first." Koschei gave a small, uncomfortable laugh.

"But that doesn't make it okay. I hurt you." Theta looked up at Koschei. "You know that. I'm sorry."

Koschei was about to say that it was all okay, but Callia opened the door to the room. She looked utterly furious. She grabbed Koschei's arm and hauled him closer to her, slamming the door behind her with the heel of her foot.

"Koschei Mekail!" she shouted, glaring at her son with the anger that only a mother could muster.

"What?" Koschei demanded, pulling back from his mother.

"Did you send that message box?" Koschei looked her in the eyes and shook his head.

"No, Mom! I didn't! I swear!"

Theta's eyes grew wide as he listened to his friend lie to his mother. Koschei had no expression resembling remorse on his face. He looked completely innocent. Koschei had just admitted that he had done it for Theta, but he lied to his mother with no qualms.

"I know you better than to believe that. Now you listen closely." Callia bent down slightly so that she was on the same level as her son. "I know that you're lying. Now, tell me what happened."

The boy looked at his mother. His eyes were empty as his lips moved. "I did it for Theta."

* * *

><p>"Callia, Koschei needs to be put somewhere. It's not safe for him to be in school with other kids," Mekail said, looking at his wife. He was ill at ease; his hands were knotted behind his back, his gaze was narrowed. "I know what you're thinking. But listen, this isn't something that we can pretend didn't happen."<p>

"Mekail, he is our son!"

"He is our son, but he is a psychopath."

_Next Chapter: Philosophy_

_AN: I love you all! Thanks for reading! Sorry it's short, but next week it'll be a nice long update because I don't have classes._


	30. Chapter 30

Year Five- Chapter 30- Philosophy

"And your assignment for tonight will be to read the next six chapters in your textbook and write an essay evaluating the correlation between black holes and the lack of existence versus the blank canvas of creation." With that, the new _Relative and Speculative Sciences_ teacher sat back at his desk. There was a silence of dread that settled over the classroom.

"How many pages?" a small voice in the back of the class asked.

"Seven," the teacher said, looking entirely uninterested. Theta sat there, staring hopelessly at the man who was supposed to be educating him. There was a collective grumbling from the entirety of the class before the man stood up again. "You are the next generation of Time-Lords, and I will not hear you complaining like Southerners." His cold gaze settled on the child who had asked how many pages the essay was to be. "It is disgusting and degrading."

"What?" Theta asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He was glad that Ghost was not in the class because she got plenty of insults from the students, but one from a teacher would be even worse than what she normally had to put up with.

"To ask a question, you must raise your hand." Theta clamped his mouth shut and pulled his notes into a pile. There were at least twelve pages of new information that would have to be used while writing his essay, and the chapters in the books were twenty pages, at least. No one in the room was excited for how their night was going to be spent.

Moments later, when the class was dismissed, Theta heard hisses of student, but they were not complaining about the amount of homework.

"He compared us to Southerners," a seventh-year muttered furiously. "He should be fired."

"As if we are as low as those animals."

"It's disgusting."

"I'm writing my father. He'll have him fired within a week."

Theta stood numbly as the people exiting the room said nothing other than murderous hints that their honour was wounded by such an undignified comparison. Though he did not know why he was doing it, Theta walked up to the teacher's desk, still trying to balance three books, his stack of notes, and several writing utensils.

"Excuse me, sir…"

"What?" the man asked tersely.

"I think… I think… that saying what you did about the Southerners was… wrong."

It struck Theta that he was talking back to an authority figure.

_The first blow came hard and fast, knocking Theta to the floor. The boy felt his lip crack and his face bruise. It was nothing new. "You should never talk out of turn," Epsilon said calmly, turning to one of the dogs at his feet. They were vicious things, incited by the smell of blood. The man kicked Theta in the stomach, simply to watch his son's pain with delight. "You keep that tongue behind your teeth and your mouth closed unless you want another broken arm." _

"Really?" When the teacher stood up, he was taller than Theta by at a little less than a foot. He was taller than Epsilon. Theta shrunk back slightly, entirely prepared to be slapped, punched, or thrown to the ground. "And what makes you think that?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was wrong."

_The words had come out of his mouth a thousand times before. "I didn't mean it!" Theta yelled, trying to protect his arm. He was sure that it was at least dislocated, if not broken. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Epsilon hauled his son so that he could pin him against the wall. _

"_What makes you think that you know more than me, boy? You're just a stupid runt. If you'd been one of my dogs, I would have drowned you the moment I saw how worthless you were." _

"_I know. I was wrong," Theta whimpered. "Please. I'm sorry." _

Theta didn't remember leaving the classroom. He didn't remember anything about his next class, which was a lecture on interspecies etiquette. He was shaking when he got to Borusa's room. Ghost was in the back, obviously struggling with something. Borusa sat beside her, trying to write out an example. He glanced up to see the shaken boy standing in the door.

"Theta?" he asked, standing up. Ghost didn't glance up, but furiously tried to copy down Borusa's example, as though repetition would make the concept stick in her mind. The boy ducked his head away from Borusa and sat down at his desk. The papers strewn across it were filled with complex equations and book about variables in time travel.

"I'm fine."

Borusa frowned. "Really?" he asked, not believing a word. "You're fine? Your hands don't seem to agree." In fact, Theta was shaking slightly.

"Please…" Theta begged.

"Was it something that Koschei did?"

"No!" If there was one thing that Theta did not want, it was for Koschei to be mad at him again. He knew that the older boy was really just trying to watch out for him. He knew that, he really did. "It's not Koschei." It had taken him time, but Theta had given up being mad at his roommate. Koschei was in trouble, too it seemed, because he was restricted from contacting anyone outside of the Academy, other than his parents, and was pulled from some of his less important classes like "Psychology of War" and "Weaponology through the Ages." Theta saw Koschei every night, pacing about and grumbling about how his parents were overreacting. Theta simply nodded and voiced his own encouragements.

"Then who was it?"

"The new Professor for the _Relative and Speculative Sciences_ class," Theta admitted, looking down at his desk. "He was being cruel. And when I went to talk to him… I couldn't argue against him."

"What did he say?" Borusa had heard from Koschei what Theta had dealt with at his father's house. One day, the boy had come in yelling and promising murder, saying that he had seen Theta with bruises covering his entire body. It took hours for the professor to get the boy to calm down enough to stop plotting.

"He just… He talked about Southerners…." Theta was trying to keep his voice down; he saw that Ghost was already mad at her work, and he didn't want her to be frustrated at something else that was beyond her control.

"Ahh" Borusa sighed and looked at Theta evenly. "I'm sorry," he said eventually. "But there's nothing that any of us can do. The majority of the Academy, the majority of Northern Gallifrey would agree with any negative comments towards the Southerners. And, though I encourage you to stand up for what you believe in, I don't want you to be hurt."

Theta heard a thud from the back of the room. When he looked back, he saw that Ghost had set her head on the desk in defeat, having been beaten by the work put before her.

* * *

><p>By the time it was dark out, only two students remained in Borusa's room. Theta was still trying to finish his essay for the new professor, and Ushas was cleaning up a new chemical mess that she had caused. Borusa was out, getting some solvent to clean the room up after his student's mess.<p>

"Did he really say that Southerners were pathetic?" Ushas asked Theta, peering over her desk at the younger boy. "Because I swear to Rassilon, if half of the things I heard about him today are true, he will wake up with dead rats in his bed tonight. Several. Dead rats. And maybe there'll be a stink bomb connected to his door and when he opens it in the morning…"

"He just said that Northerners should be better than Southerners. It could have been a lot worse…" Theta had planned on taking Ushas' side entirely, but he also didn't want to be involved if dead rats and stink bombs were going to be planted. If he got in trouble at the Academy, his father would hear about it, and that was the last thing that he wanted.

Ushas frowned and disappeared below her desk again. "Well, he's still disgusting. You know," she peered back up, this time setting a broken vial on her desk and ruining a number of her notes, but she did not notice. "They purposely put Ghost in classes that are too hard. I mean, they have a different schooling system in the south, and they put her in classes two years above her. Two!" Ushas made a disgusted noise and went back to blotting at the floor. "Sometimes I don't even get the math they want her to do." She paused. "Well, I do, but that doesn't mean that Ghost's stupid or anything, Because she's not."

"I know that," Theta said, almost defensive. Yet again, Ushas popped her head up and stared at Theta, though this time she was measuring him up.

"Do you like Ghost?"

"What?" Theta demanded.

"Millennia thinks that you and Ghost have a thing."

"What!? No!" Theta shook his head violently. "It's just that… I dunno. I don't… I don't like her like that. Okay?" Ushas tapped her finger on her desk and tilted her head.

"She said that when she went to talk to you after you came back from you father's house, you didn't say anything mean to her. You drove Koschei into a fury, but you just talked to her. It's because you like her."

"No!" Theta turned a bright red colour. "It's just… She's hurt as much as I am. She gets yelled at, and treated like she's nothing. And I understand that. How could I be mean to her when she suffers just as much as I do?"

Ushas took a minute to process what Theta said before standing up. "So you don't like her like that?" She smiled. "Good."

"Why good?" Theta asked, entirely bewildered by the entire conversation. He was used to being interrogated by Ushas, but never about anything so entirely uncomfortable.

"Because if you liked her, you'd stop paying so much attention to Koschei, and he'd probably become a mass murderer." Ushas grinned and looked down at the broken glass across her desk. "Shit!" she yelled, looking at her notes, which were now stained a deep purple. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Theta jumped up and grabbed some of the papers off of her desk, though there was nothing that could be done to save them. The girl was so busy trying to salvage something, anything from her information hordes that she ended up breaking the glass into even smaller pieces. When she went to scoop up a handful of purple-flecked pages, she slid her hand over the desk.

"Mother of-" She pulled her hand back and looked at the small cuts that covered her palm.

"Are you okay?" Theta asked, rushing over to her side and looking for something to stop the bleeding.

"It's nothing," Ushas muttered darkly. "But that is." She motioned to the notes, half of which were probably useless. "As if I needed something else to make up." As she lamented the loss of proof of her hard work, Theta scurried around to find something to pull the glass out of her hand with. "Oh, don't worry about it, Theta, I'll pull it out on my own."

By the time Borusa arrived back in his classroom, Ushas was spinning herself around in circles trying to recall everything that she had written down, "2 moles hydroxyl concentrate; mixture three parts thionyl, one part phosphorous tribromide…" and Theta was furiously scribbling down what she was calling out to him.

He shook his head at the two fondly. "It's time that you two went back to your dorm before curfew," he reminded gently.

"Not until I'm done!" Ushas roared back, continuing to list off ingredients.

_Next Chapter: Defence_

_AN: I love all of you guys. And I apologise if there are any typos in here. I'm jacked up on medication for my procedure tomorrrow, and can't eat anything... Woohoo. (Not)_


	31. Chapter 31

_Year Five- Chapter 31- Defence_

Rallon stared at Mortimus, who was tearing up a sheet of paper with deep concentration. Before he could start up a conversation to distract his roommate, Mortimus had finished, and was glaring at the boy that he shared his room with.

"I cannot believe him."

"Neither can I…" Rallon did not know who they were even talking about anymore. Mortimus had complaints about everyone and everything around him, and Rallon had simply learned to agree and hope that the conversation would move on eventually.

"A subpar paper? I have never written anything subpar. In my life!" At that, he threw the scraps of paper on the floor and stood up. He snarled an incoherent insult to the teacher. "As much as I despise Ushas, and believe that she is nothing more than an over-grown child, I believe I'm going to have to steal several rats from her…"

"Mortimus, no. You're not going to… That grade wasn't even that bad!"

"It wasn't good enough. _You_ would think that it's good, wouldn't you? You're used to having low expectations for yourself, but I do not. If I fall another place in the rankings…." Rallon groaned and kicked around a book on the floor. Insults came from Mortimus as often as he breathed, so Rallon was used to it, but that did not mean that he wasn't tired of hearing about how his ranking, eighth in the entirety of Prydon, was nothing to be proud of.

"I'm going to go talk to Ushas."

"You just don't want to listen to me. That's okay. You're just too unintelligent to understand why I'm upset."

"I'll just talk to you later, Mortimus."

Rallon got out of the room as fast as he could, hoping that there was going to be someone he could talk to about anything other than grades. The more Mortimus rubbed it in that he was lower ranked, the more that Rallon grew agitated and upset. He watched over the other boy out of loyalty, but sometimes he felt as though reliability was hardly a reason to remain in contact with Mortimus.

Without even thinking about it, he ended up outside Millennia's room. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped when he heard whispers from the other side. One of the voices he recognised with ease, it was the girl he had been looking for, but the other voice was hard to hear clearly. It took him a moment to identify Ushas as the person Millennia was talking to.

"You don't understand, Millennia, she's really suffering… I don't know what to do."

"You just have to help her…"

"There's nothing I _can_ do!"

Rallon took a moment to reconsider. Ushas sounded upset, and he didn't want to interrupt anything that he couldn't even try to help with. After hesitating, he walked away from the room. It was better that he didn't interfere, and he knew that. Instead of bothering Millennia, he went down to the first level and opened the door to the room that Theta and Koschei shared.

"You're going to break it!"

"I didn't ask you!"

Theta was standing on the chair from Koschei's desk, attempting to get a closer look at something on the ceiling. Theta had a cup in one hand and a paper in the other. The older boy was holding the chair that Theta was standing on in an attempt to steady it.

"Is everything okay in here?" Rallon asked, shutting the door behind him.

"Yeah. Well, no." Koschei craned his neck so that he could see Rallon. "Vansell found these bugs in the mountains, and he kept them to show Ushas and me, but he brought them in here and one of them escaped. Apparently it bites. So we weren't about to let it just stay on the ceiling."

"And so we're going to let it out." Theta winced as he moved his arms again; the blood had drained from his hands, which ached after trying to catch the little insect for so long.

"Do you need any help?"

"Not really?" Koschei stopped talking to Rallon abruptly and stared up at Theta. "Have you gotten it yet?"

"Look, I'm trying not to startle it. Because if it flies away… again… I'll have to repeat this whole process. So calm down." Koschei gave an agitated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Oooh, I've almost got it…" Theta hit the cup against the wall and grinned. "Yes! I got it!" Koschei jumped up and moved out of Theta's way.

"Nice!" Rallon commented as Theta ran to the already-opened window and tossed the bug out. Koschei slammed the glass shut and turned back to the other boy.

"So, did you come here for entertainment, or…?"

"I was giving Mortimus some time alone. He was upset about a teacher."

"And you came here instead of going to see Millennia?" Koschei demanded, acting aghast. "Are you ill?"

"She was talking to someone, and I wasn't about to barge in." Theta's expression, which had been neutral before, faltered into a frown. He knew what was happening, because he and Ushas spent so much time together, and since girls seemed to know everything about the other people of their same gender, he gained all the knowledge that Ushas had, and knew the entirety of the issue the two girls were discussing.

"That's probably for the better," Theta commented softly, tossing the cup to the other side of the desk. Rallon nodded and walked over to Koschei's bed.

"Do you know what was happening?" Theta shook his head.

"Uh, no," he lied with ease. " But… you know… walking in on conversations is usually frowned upon…" Koschei shrugged and gave a small chuckle.

"I don't see why…." the older boy commented. Within minutes, Rallon had lured Koschei into a small conversation about nothing in particular, starting with small questions about homework that he already knew how to do. Theta, though, was busy with his own thoughts and worries. He knew who Ushas was talking to Millennia about and why, and he knew that there was something happening in the North that would not subside.

_Next Chapter: Deviation_

_AN: Oh my god, I love you all! _  
><em>A special thanks to the people writing fanfics about my fanfic! (The Linn in her story "How to Effectively Fix Journey's End, and NobleBea in "The Girl in Red Trainers") I need to drag year five out a little more for characterisation purposes, so if you have ideas for me, let me know! <em>


	32. Chapter 32

_Year Five- Chapter 32- Deviation_

"I say they need to be removed."

"They're useless!"

"We don't need them here!"

The High Council was roaring with noise. Men and women were standing up and yelling over the din of the others. Red and gold robes caught the light as politicians waved wildly to prove their points. Hand gestures grew more and more rude as those who opposed the removal of Southerners sat quietly. All three of them.

"Mekail, think about your safety! The safety of your family!"

"They are monsters!"

"They worship a god, not science!"

Mekail looked at those who supported him with a grim expression. He knew that he could not win this. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change the fate of Gallifrey.

"They are aberrations!"

"They are not to be trusted!"

The noise was like nothing Mekail had ever heard before. It was nothing like the sound of Koschei crying madly as a child .It was nothing like the sound of children yelling at full volume and running about. No, it was the sound of pure and unadulterated hate spilling from the lips of those who were supposed to care.

"You must understand!"

"They are unnatural!"

These were all words that Mekail had heard a thousand times over, and not in relation with the Southerners. The only things that he could see in his mind's eye were the small Southern girl, the Ghost, and Koschei. The two. They were aberrations together, it seemed.

"What can you not understand?"

Mekail opened his mouth for the first time since the meeting had begun, hours before.

"You do not need my vote to continue the removal of Southerners. What do you want from me?"

The silence that followed what he said was uneasy with fury and discontent.

"You know that you will be remembered as the man who cared naught for Gallifrey," a young woman said, looking at him desperately. "We are only looking out for you and your family! Your wife… your son… Think about them. If the other Time-Lords find out how you vote in this, everyone around you will become targets… It could be dangerous for them." Mekail knew her well. This concerned Time-Lady was the Karhin. She was a friend of Callia, but not a close one.

"If that is what must be…" Mekail looked at the politicians around him. There were few friendly faces and even fewer prepared to defend him. "You have my vote, and I will not change it."

* * *

><p>"The syntax patterns of Denorian are unique, because every word has a unique place in a sentence. As you can see, the subject of the sentence goes before everything else, even introductory phrases…"<p>

Theta and Koschei looked at each other from across the aisle. The lesson was bound to be just as dull as had been for the last hour, and there was still half an hour to go. Both Koschei and Theta hated their language classes. If Tardises could translate everything, why did they have to learn about the syntaxes and nuances of obscure languages? It had taken them a whole fifteen minutes into the class before they started to write notes. Koschei had started by asking,

What did you get on your chemistry homework?

_A perfect score. Remind me later that I owe Ushas new chemicals. She's a life saver for sure._

Did you know that Drax regenerated yesterday?

_What?_

He blew up part of his room again and regenerated. The Academy was mildly furious.

…_.What was he testing?_

What happens when carbon monoxide, under pressure, reaches a certain temperature.

_Is he okay?_

He is. His room's not.

"Lord Master, Lord Doctor, is there something that you would like to share?" the professor asked, looking into the class at them. Theta immediately looked down at his desk and hunched over, trying to look smaller. Koschei, though, already had a lie rolling from his lips.

"Theta went to spend his night at his father's house. And last night, Drax blew up part of our room. I thought that it might be important for him to know, seeing as some of his work was lost."

The answer seemed to satisfy the man. And it wasn't luck. Koschei knew exactly how to get what he wanted when he wanted it. It was simply how it was. "Alright. Well… Please stop for the time being." And that was that. Koschei grinned to Theta who grinned back. For the rest of the class, the two attempted to pay attention, but to no avail. Neither one cared for the class, nor the teacher. Theta wrote a thank you note to Ushas, along with an IOU for new chemicals. Koschei was forging a note to get Ushas out of her next class. It would look exactly like it was written by the Head of the Academy. Koschei had gotten many messages from the Head before, mostly pertaining to his parents' activities, so he knew exactly what the man wrote like and what his handwriting was.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mortimus asked over Koschei's shoulder after the teacher dismissed the class. "It would be a pity if you were to get caught. There might even be repercussions."

"Mortimus…" Theta started softly, stopping as he put papers into a pile on his desk.

"Yes?"

"Mortimus, shut up." Koschei threw his books and papers into a stack and picked them up. "You're just upset that I've got a higher grade in this class. And a higher rank in the Academy. So grow up and bother someone else."

"Did you hear about the council meeting?"

Koschei froze quickly and turned to the boy. "What?"

"There was a high council meeting today. And your father was one of three people who voted against the total removal of the rest of the Southerners. Apparently there have been assassinations. Two of them."

Within Koschei's head, he heard the roaring sound of a beat of four. Theta put a hand on Koschei's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" he asked through his teeth. "What do you know about my father?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Mortimus grinned to Theta. "I'm just saying what I've heard around the campus. A lot of people are upset about how your father voted. And that doesn't bode well for him. Or you."

Koschei's hands were around Mortimus' throat in seconds. His eyes were no longer just blue, but gold rimmed their edges. He was almost grinning through his snarl. "Tell me, were there really any assassinations?"

"Of course. Ask any teacher. They were told about it, I'm sure. For security reasons."

"Who exactly was hurt?"

"They haven't released anything," Mortimus said with a smile. "And remove your hands from my neck. Now. Before I run to Theta-Sigma's father and tell him that he cheated on his last chemistry test."

The fear in Theta's eyes was real. He looked to Koschei quickly, hoping that Mortimus was not serious. His father would leave new bruises, new scars, and there was nothing that Theta feared more. Before Theta could beg his roommate to let go, Koschei had already released Mortimus and was looking to Theta.

"I'll kill you someday, Mortimus," he promised through his teeth, "but until then, keep away from Theta!"

* * *

><p>Koschei's home was a few miles away from Prydon. And the boy had never run faster. He had stopped by his room, thrown off his robe, and pulled on pants and a shirt. And he ran. He knew that the teachers would be furious that he was skipping school. He was sure that Mortimus would tell everyone some horrible lie about why he was missing. He knew that Ushas would be worried, too. And Theta.<p>

But that didn't matter. Not now. All he could think of was his father- the man's eyes wide and his body cold. Assassinations rarely ever ended with the politician regenerating safely. No. Normally three shots were fired or three stab wounds made. One to cause the regeneration, one end it, and the third to guarantee the death.

The street that Koschei's house sat upon was filled with people, many of whom looked furious, and few of whom looked encouraging. There was shouting, but Koschei heard none of the words. The drums beat so loudly that he could not have tried to understand them. He reached the gate to his house and pulled it open, disregarding the world around him. He did not notice that guards were standing beside the gate, preventing other people from entering.

He opened the door to his house with all of his might. "Father!" he yelled desperately. "Father!"

From around the corner, from the living room, Mekail walked out, blood on his face and his hands.

"Koschei, what… What are you doing here?" he asked, quickly wiping his hands on his robe. He did not want his son to see the blood. He would never have admitted it, but he was afraid that if his son saw too much blood, his insanity would only worsen. The first time Koschei had tripped and fell after looking into the Schism, he landed on rock. And as blood poured out from his body, the boy did not cry. Koschei had simply stared at the blood, almost smiling.

"There were assassinations."

"Attempts. Your mother found a man in the house. He's dead now."

"Did you kill him?"

Mekail shook his head, lying.

"He… The police took care of it." Koschei took a few shallow breaths. His father was alive. His father was okay. His father was alive.

"You're okay." It was a question, though it was not made to sound like one.

"Yes, Koschei. I'm fine. Everything is fine." Mekail looked at his son. The boy was flushed, his eyes wide. Callia walked in, still wearing her council robes. "Your mother's fine. We're safe."

"Koschei? How did you get here?" She walked to her son and looked him over. She knew that his hearts were racing. She knew that he was panicked. She saw it in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Mortimus said there were assassinations. He said that you voted against the removal of Ghost…"

"Yes, that's true." Mekail looked awkwardly at his son and then to his wife.

"So they were both attempts?"

"No. The Eternal is dead, as is the Bard," Callia supplied to her son. "Mekail, go… wash up. Please."

Koschei knew the Bard and the Eternal, though he had never liked them, he had known them since he was a child. They had brought him presents from foreign planets or told him stories about their trips. They had sized him up to see what kind of politician he would be when he was older. And they were dead. They would never be competition for him, or allies for his parents. The Bard had known his mother since her years at the Academy. The Eternal had a mother from the South, and Mekail had helped her ease her way into the High Council.

They were dead.

"Why?" Koschei asked, knowing the answer. He had not liked the women, but they supported his father, and that much mattered to the young boy.

"You should go back to the Academy, Koschei," Callia said, gently putting a hand on her son's shoulder. "You don't need to miss any classes; we're fine."

On autopilot, Koschei nodded slowly. "Are you sure that you'll be okay?"

"As long as you're safe. Don't leave your room too often…"

"No one will attack me," Koschei promised. His concerned frown twisted into a sadistic smile. "No. I can kill them. And they know that."

"Koschei… Don't talk like that."

"If you ever died, Mother. I wouldn't just be saying that," the boy said, looking her in the eyes. "I would kill someone."

Callia cringed, but her son did not pick up on it. He left the house, not noticing that when his mother had touched him, that blood had become smeared on his shirt. She folded her arms and watched her son leave the house. She should not have let him leave. She should have known what would happen to Mekail. She blamed herself for everything in that moment- her son's insanity, her husband's attack, their unpopularity. She should protect her household, and she had failed.

No one was there for Callia as tears ran down her cheeks, mixing with the blood of the man she had killed with a kitchen knife and her bare hands.

_Next Chapter: Magister_

_AN: Sorry that I'm so flaky about updating this. I do have huge things planned for the plot, I really do! And I can't wait to implement them. Just wait till year 8... Muahahahaaa. Anyhow, please review, favourite, share, etc... I really appreciate feedback._


	33. Chapter 33

_Year Five- Chapter 33- Magister_

The rain fell slowly and heavily onto the red grass and black stone in the courtyard. The smell of fresh, warm dirt wafted into the air slowly, lazily. The beckoning of summer. The wind whipped leaves to and fro until they scattered upon the ground. Drop after drop of water gathered on the ground, making puddles and mud. It was all so grey, so tired.

"It's dark," Koschei said softly. "It'll be night soon."

"You really should shut up," Ushas encouraged as she scratched through answers on a notepad. There were numbers upon numbers scrawled in her cramped handwriting. On the top she had written a list of names, as well as years. "This is your fault that we're locked out."

"My fault?"

"Yeah." She scratched out Jelpax's name and circled a problem that she had finished, balancing a chemical equation. "You're the one who pissed off Drax. If you hadn't have told him that he was stupid, we would not have gotten stuck out here. Quid pro quo, this is your fault." She began with the next balance. It was not challenge. Simple chemistry for her, really, but she did wish she had Ghost to whine to.

"He set fire to Theta's bag before he left!"

"That doesn't mean that you storm in, steal his stuff, and then call him an asshole!" Ushas glared at him, taking a precious moment to look up from her work. Koschei's face would have been unreadable to those who hadn't known him from childhood, but Ushas could read him like a book. "I get it; you were protecting Theta, but really? The kid can defend himself. And Drax has the technology to lock the entire building. What did you think would happen?"

"If his dad sees that his bag is burnt…"

"I know that it will suck for him." Ushas had seen what had happened to Theta, heard what the boy had to say. And she did feel for him, but she could not let Koschei obsess. It would only make things worse.

Another light breeze tousled Koschei's dark hair and Ushas' paper.

"You just don't care."

"Yeah, of course I don't. I love seeing my friends have the shit beaten out of them."

"Wouldn't surprise me." Koschei's words came out surprisingly bitter, even to him. As much as he immediately wished to take back the words, he made no apology. She was brushing him off, and he hated when she did that.

"Do you want to wake up with a couple of diseased rats in your shower?" She raised an eyebrow challengingly. If she wanted to, she would do it. It was a dare. Who would back down first? But surprisingly, the tension simmered. The sun came out, and the rain stalled to an occasional droplet. Ushas looked back to her paper as Koschei looked back to the tree in front of him.

It was a young tree, a small tree. There were many plants on the campus of Prydon, all of different types from different planets. This small tree was called an Aspen. It was brought from Earth during Koschei's first year at the Academy, back when he was nothing more than a scared novice. Before he looked into the Schism. Before the drums. He had liked the tree when he first saw it. The bark was a pure white when it was a sapling. The leaves were a pure green. The tree was so different from the black-barked, red-leaved plants that covered Mount Perdition and the rest of Gallifrey. It was so fragile. The first storm of the winter had threatened to tear the sapling from where it had rooted. And yet, five years later, it remained there, growing ever higher.

"Ushas?" a girl called from the door of the dormitory building. "Ushas, I saw that you were trying the door earlier… Are you okay? Have you packed yet? We only have two more tests, and then we're free!"

She was the girl that had roomed with Ushas the year before- Yalta. She was a delicate child with low scores and more friends than she knew what to do with. Ushas did not begrudge her that at all, but did wonder what the girl would do with her life one she was out of the Academy. More than likely she would become a mother. Ushas knew that the girl would be a fine care-taker, but she did question how well she would bear children. Yalta was a rather small child.

"Thanks, Yalta! Please hold the door for me." Ushas stood up and clutched her papers to her chest. "Are you going to sit out here and sulk, Koschei, or do you want to come in with me and study? You still have your Composition and Language test, right?"

"I… I… Fine." He stood up and followed his friend into the building. Ushas thanked her former roommate and walked in. Koschei was silent behind her and gave not a word to the other girl. Awkwardly, Yalta smiled to Koschei. When she received no response, she walked back to her room, knowing that Koschei hadn't changed at all from the year previous.

"I'm going to get back to work. Let me know if you want to study at all," Ushas offered before walking passed Koschei's door without another word.

The boy let out a noncommittal grunt and opened the door. Theta had already taken all of his tests early, at his father's demand, and left. The room was empty and boring. Koschei wanted to go pester Rallon. Normally he would have gone to Drax to whine, but he knew that the other boy would be sore about it for the next hour or so, and he knew better than to go back to Drax when the pyromaniac was mad. Koschei also knew that Rallon and Millennia would be together, talking about the weather or something else boring. That left nothing for him to do.

When he shut the door behind him, he paused to listen to the rhythmic sound of raindrops hitting the windowpanes. It would have been soothing if he hadn't heard a beat of four hidden in the soft pats against the glass. It was so soft, so gentle. It was a verbal caress. With his mind blank and his gaze even, Koschei walked over to Theta's bed and sat on it. There was nothing left but a bare mattress.

Theta had hardly even said goodbye. He had packed all of his book and papers and clothes and looked to Koschei.

"Maybe I'll see you," he muttered noncommittally before walking out the door. He was out of earshot before Koschei could even respond.

The mattress was lumpy, and one spot of it was rather hard. Koschei frowned and wondered how in the world the other boy managed to get any sleep on such an uncomfortable surface. He moved off of the bed and pried the mattress up from the wooden bars that kept it from sitting on the floor; there, wedged between the two pieces of the bed, was a small book. It had a hard red cover. Curiously, Koschei pulled it out and looked at it.

The book was titled, "The Untempered Schism and its Effects Upon Time-Lord Psychology." Koschei flipped open to the first page, which was blank except for a small line of handwriting.

_I knew you were curious. –Ghost_

He flipped through a few pages to see that sentences and phrases were highlighted. In Theta's handwriting, comments were made. Koschei stood up, book in hand. The light from the suns was not entirely gone. Koschei knew that, at top speed, he could get to Theta's house in about half an hour to a quarter of an hour depending on who was out and blocking the side roads. He had a test early in the morning, but he assumed he would be back before getting to sleep at a reasonable time was an issue. He took one last glance out the window. It was still raining. It was supposed to rain throughout the night.

But Koschei hadn't really gotten to say goodbye to Theta before he wouldn't see him for, possibly, months, and now he had the perfect excuse. Theta had left a book that looked important to him. So Koschei walked out of the room clutching the small tome. He closed the door behind himself and nodded to one of the girls in the hall who was talking to a friend. She was smart, from one of Koschei's more challenging classes about the relativity of dimensions and time.

She smiled pleasantly back and continued to talk.

As soon as he was out of the building, he ran. He ran, as he was so apt to do. It was not a break-neck pace, but there was a sense of urgency in it. He wanted to see Theta. He wanted to make sure that the younger boy was okay. He knew that Epsilon would be furious about the damage to Theta's bag. He wanted to protect Theta.

1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4. Koschei counted his footfalls through the city in time with the drums. It was the way he kept from thinking too much when he ran. When there was a pattern and a rhythm, he could settle into it. He could let himself be caught up in something as inane as the pace of the movement of his legs. 1-2-3-4. He could get the book back to Theta and check up on him. 1-2-3-4. It had only been a few hours, and Koschei already felt lonely. 1-2-3-4. It was going to be a miserable summer. For a moment, Koschei let his pace break. He would be almost alone for three months. His father would be busy with his renewed unpopularity. His mother would be dealing with the repercussions of her husband's vote. Ushas would come over once a week to check up on him. Occasionally, maybe, Rallon or Magnus or Drax would stop by for a while.

1-2-3-4. It would be a long summer, Koschei thought, forcing himself to go faster to make up for his temporary lapse in attention. He turned street corners, ignoring stares. There were so many houses that looked the same, the designs carefully sanctioned by the smaller councils. There had to be order on Gallifrey, there had to be a stated and uniform majesty, so many houses looked alike. There were few old houses, such as Koschei's, that were rustic and unplanned. They were allowed to stand because the affluent liked individuality, and the affluent were allowed what they wanted.

Theta's house was foreboding. It was a good size, but it was not welcoming in any sense of the word. There was just too much about it that Koschei knew. He knew about Epsilon, he knew about Janna. He knew about the bruises and the booze and the violence.

When Koschei knocked on the darkly painted door, he remembered something. He remembered that he had called the authorities to Epsilon's house not a few months previous. That was when the boy remembered what he was really doing. He wasn't helping Theta by showing up, he was making everything worse.

The second Koschei turned to run, the door opened. Theta's eyes were wide.

A new bruise that covered the young boy's cheek was highlighted by his light skin. He looked tired. He looked scared. Koschei glanced down the rest of his friend. There were new bruises. Epsilon had not changed.

"What do you want, Koschei Mekail?" Theta asked tensely. He knew that his father was listening. He knew that if he misspoke, even once, there would be no mercy. He tried to convey that through his gaze, but all he saw was Koschei's frown.

"You left a book. I thought you might want it."

"Thank you. You need to leave now."

"Sorry for bothering you. Goodbye."

Theta took the book and closed the door as quickly as he could. He did not know that Koschei had understood the gaze. He did not know that Koschei was still standing on the other side of the door, frowning deeper than before, worrying about his young roommate.

"I heard the Mekail boy," Epsilon noted, his voice dangerously low.

"I left a book in my hurry to leave, Father. He felt it was-"

"Go to your room." There was no patience in the tone.

Theta bowed his head, moved his shoulders closer to his chest, and moved to the stairs. He feared the stairs. Epsilon could throw him down them with so much ease. He could break more bones, new bones. He would watch and smile at Theta's pain. The boy retreated to his room before Epsilon changed his mind and found a new way to humiliate him.

Once he closed the door behind himself, he slip into a crouch, his back against the wood and his head in his hands. He was tired. He was in pain. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he looked at the book.

"This is all your fault," he hissed to it. "He shouldn't see me like this."

_Next chapter: Sinn_

_AN: I really enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you do to!_


	34. Chapter 34

_Year Five- Chapter 34- Sinn_

The banging from the door would not stop. It was incessant. It was aggravating.

"Come out," a young boy taunted. "Come out! We want to play!" There was laughter, but it was not the kind you would expect from a child who was hardly eight. It was harsh, mocking.

"Come on!"

"Go away!" Theta moaned his face buried in the pillow on his bed. He was tangled in the sheets, his arms draped over the side of the bed and his legs dangling off the back. The bed was too small for him. It was made for a child, not a teenager. It was a miracle that Theta could even fall asleep on it.

"We'll tell Father that you hit us," Kappa informed, banging on the door again. "We'll say that you woke us up, and said we'd play and then you hit us. He'll be mad. He'll be very mad."

Theta dug his nails into his arm, leaving small crescent marks. All he could think about was his father's face twisted in fury as he threw him down the stairs again. And again.

"Please… Leave me alone. Please." He didn't mean to beg. He did not mean to sound so pathetic.

But he should have expected it. That was what his father said. That was what his father had always said. He was pathetic. He was nothing. He was worthless. And he should have expected to sound as pathetic as he obviously was.

But in his mind, he heard Koschei fighting back. _You're not worthless! You're in the Deca, your work with Borusa. Ignore that man. Ignore him!  
><em>"Ignore us, and we'll get Mother!"

Theta rolled off of his bed and trudged over to the door. He cracked it open just an inch to look out; he did not want them running and messing with his things. The two younger boys were standing with their arms crossed, a perfect reflection of each other. Neither one looked amused, but Zeta was tapping his foot.

"What exactly do you want?" Theta asked.

"We want to play."

"I… figured as much. I'll be out in a minute." With that, Theta slammed the door shut as quickly as he could to avoid them suddenly intruding. He let his fingers brush the lock on his door, contemplating breaking one of his father's most explicit rules- Theta could not keep him out, nor anyone else in the family.

Not willing to risk ay retribution, Theta walked away, hoping that his brothers would not burst in and begin to trash his room, as they often did, only to call Epsilon up and tell him what a slob Theta was. He pulled on pants and a high-collared red shirt. His father demanded he dress in only Gallifreyan garb while at home. His brothers, though, could do as they pleased.

He opened the door to see them still waiting. He had hoped that they had lost interest.

"What is it?" he asked again.

"We want you to talk to us about the Academy," Kappa said.

"In the living room," Zeta added. And the two trotted off, down the stairs. Theta followed after a soft sigh. He knew them. He knew that they would most likely just insult and torment him. It was inevitable. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he glanced around, and gave a small prayer of thanks when he saw that his mother was nowhere to be found.

"Sit," Kappa demanded, pointing to the floor. The two younger boys sat on the couch and watched with glee as Theta, without argument, sat below them, looking up at them. It was a stance of pure submission, and even in their little experience, the boys knew what it looked like and delighted in it. "What grades does the Mekail boy get?"

"Good scores," Theta said through his teeth. "You already know that he's at the top of the Academy."

"He's smarter than you?" Zeta demanded, leaning forward, awaiting the answer.

"Yes…"  
>"But he's insane!" Kappa said, his eyes wide. Everyone had heard about how Mekail's son was diagnosed as insane, particularly those in Epsilon's family. "He's better at you in the Academy, and he's insane?"<p>

"He's not!" Theta hissed back to his brothers. He jumped to his feet, forgetting his position.

"He hears that beat, doesn't he? Father talked about it once. It's drums, isn't it?"

"He… Stop it!"

Theta's mother walked in from the kitchen, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. She looked to the boys, sitting so innocently on the couch, and then to Theta, who was standing over them, yelling.

"Theta-Sigma!" she yelled with a fury. The boy froze. His eyes were wide with fear. She walked over to him and grabbed his hair roughly. "What were you doing?"

"He was mad at us for talking about the Academy!" Kappa cried.

"We were just nervous about next year…." Zeta added, looking like a perfectly frightened and betrayed child. Janna tightened her hold on his hair. Theta let out a small grunt of pain as she hauled him to face her.

"Get into the kitchen," she demanded. "And put your hand on the stove."

* * *

><p>"You really need to get out," Ushas said, sitting at the foot of Koschei's bed and scanning through a book that had previously been lying on the floor, tossed there carelessly. "I mean, do you even see this place? Theta's not even here to keep you in line…"<p>

"Why don't you go torment someone who actually likes you?" Koschei demanded, slamming his own book shut to glare at her.

"Because the guards around what's left of the Southern embassy won't let me near it. Last time I was threatened with a gun. They're lucky that I didn't have any acid on me. I would have just dissolved one of those stupid fences in the back and…"

"And let people who want to kill Ghost in."

"Did I ask you to make a comment?" Ushas asked, turning back to her book. She was not in the mood to hear Koschei's pious speeches while he was whining about not seeing his own friend.

"Yeah, you came over."

"You wanted me to, admit it. Your mom said that you've only gone out to run in the back. Which you did for an hour and half yesterday. I don't want to let you sit and rot. What kind of friend would that make me?"

"You're already a shitty friend."

"Really?"

Ushas stood up and threw the book she was holding at Koschei's head. She was furious with him. She missed Ghost as much as he missed Theta, and instead of making things better for himself, he sat in his room and bemoaned everything. At least she had started working on more experiments. She couldn't do them at home. With so many siblings, it was entirely unpractical. Her youngest brother had almost swallowed bleach before she had asked Mekail and Callia if she could use a study in their house to work with. They didn't quite give her study- it was more of a large empty room with tiled floors, but Ushas was fine with this. She understood that they did not want her near any books and carpet; if anything, it was more than she deserved. She just wanted a place to work alone and without the distraction of umpteen children running around.

Koschei dodged the book just in time. It hit the wall and fell to the floor. Ushas curled her hands into fists and pivoted around. She stormed out of the room, down the hall. He knew that she was leaving for her work room, but he still felt a pang of guilt for driving her away.

"Ushas!" he called, jumping up and following. He tossed the book he had been reading to the ground. "Ushas Imassa! I'm sorry!"

She continued as though she had not heard him. She didn't care what he had to say, because inevitably he would either blame it on his insanity or try to reason that he was worse off than her. And she did not want to have to hear it all again. After being friends with him for years, she knew everything he would do at least ten minutes before he did it.

"Ushas, please!" By then he had caught up with her. He put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. She turned around and smacked him with all the force she could muster. "Shit!"

"Don't touch me!"

Ushas was shocked at how furious she sounded. She had not thought she was all _that _mad with Koschei. But there was something about him holding her there, holding her in place while he was in control, that infuriated her to an extent that she could hardly verbalize.

"Sorry." Koschei pulled his hand back, but looking at her sincerely. "I'm sorry. Don't be mad with me. We're both… bored."

"You're sulking and bored. I'm trying to do work, but you keep distracting me with your… patheticness!"

"I'm sorry…"

"You had better be," Ushas muttered, tearing his hand from her and walking away as quickly as she could. Koschei remained standing in the hall for a moment before clenching his teeth together tightly. His hands flew to his hair and tangled there, pulling.  
>"Dammit!"<p>

* * *

><p>Ghost sat quietly in her room. Her legs were crossed over each other, and her hands were placed gently on her knees. Her breaths were controlled, deep and even. Her eyes were closed. Everything was silent in her mind as she listened to the people screaming and yelling outside of her home.<p>

She missed the south with its kind people and its calm ways. There was no science that drove people to hatred; there was no competition that placed some children above others. She missed the calm. There was a twinge in her mind. Calmly, she noted that she not only missed the calm, but she missed Ushas. She missed her friend who had been so kind to her and guided her through her classes. She missed Theta and his smile. She missed Koschei and his dark humour. She missed her friends. But most of all, she missed Ushas.

Ghost wanted to berate herself for it; she wanted to call herself weak for not being able to stabilize herself, but she stopped. Negative thoughts helped nothing, and she knew that. Negative thoughts were what drove the people outside of her home. She did not want to become so consumed with despair that she could not enjoy what she had. A peaceful smile came to Ghost's face as she thought about things that made her happy- her friends.

But she was ripped out of her meditation by the sound of breaking glass.

Her eyes opened wide. She jumped to her feet and looked around. It was not from her room. The one window, which opened to the front, was intact. She ran out of her room and looked down the hallway to where her parent's room was. She opened the door to find that it, too, was untouched.

A hand landed on her shoulder. Ghost stiffened. She could not turn around. "Ennaila…"

The voice was that over her father. She turned to see him with a gun in his hand. Her eyes widened. –Father?- she asked through his mind, eyes locked on the weapon. –Are you all right?-

"Yes, I am fine. Your mother has a few scratches, but nothing bad."

Ghost gave a small nod and looked down the hall again to see if she could see her mother. –What happened?-

"Your mother was reading a book when a rock came through the window. I was sending a message box off. The guards said that they could not find the culprit, but…" He did not need to say anything more. Ghost knew that the guards were only paid to make sure that no one got in, and most of them hated the Southerners. They did what they were paid to do and nothing more. Once one of the men on guard had tried to get Ghost to enter his mind, to prove that she had the power to, but she had refused, and he had mocked her, saying that she had no real power. She had simply walked away. Most people she had met in the North did not believe her. She did not hold it against the man that he was skeptical.

Ghost walked away from her father and down several flights of stairs. The building was built to hold several families of ambassadors. With only three people inside of the structure, it felt very empty and impractical. By the time Ghost got into the kitchen, where she correctly assumed her mother would be, the cuts were cleaned and her mother was smiling.

"Ennaila? Are you all right?" she asked, seeing her daughter's concern. Ghost shook her head and picked up the stained cloths that her mother had draped against the sink. They were stained with her blood, but not more than splatters of it. "Ennaila?"

-I am okay.- Ennaila signed to her mother as she walked out with the rags. She would wash them in a bathroom somewhere silent where she could organise her thoughts better.

_Next Chapter- Allein_

_AN: I'm going to be on vacation most of the summer, but I will keep updating. This is pretty much the lead up to one of the most suckiest summers for the Deca... And I'm not going to stay on it for too long, but the next year at the Academy... Well, that will be quite interesting, I can promise. Review if you can, because every time I try to ditch this project, I go through the reviews to keep at it! Have a great week or so until I update, Shara._


	35. Chapter 35

_Year Five- Chapter 35- Allein_

_The world seemed calm in the morning light of the suns. As Time-Lords walked out in the lazy air, strolling, smiling, there was a darkness enveloping the planet. As the ruby leaves rustled about and animals grazed off the foothills of Mount Perdition, the South burned. Children screamed and ran from the men that fired upon their homes. Woman cried and clung to what they had- blankets, heirlooms, and corpses of the men that fought back. The wind was slow as it whipped shouts of horror and pain into the air. Without mercy, the morning grew into a beautiful day._

"Epsilon left me in charge," Janna said to her eldest child who was cowering in the furthest corner of the kitchen. "He was called out with his platoon to quell the rebels in the South. So until he returns, you will listen to me carefully. And I will make sure that you do."

"Yes, ma'am," Theta begged to the floor, clutching the deep gauge on his hand.

He had been cutting meat for dinner when she stormed in in a fury. She was always at her worst when her husband was gone. And she knew that Theta had befriended the daughter of the Southern ambassador. She was the reason that they were rebelling. She had been attacked after a man had stormed into the embassy. He nearly killed the wife of the ambassador, but the man himself was unharmed. And the slight, silent girl had not been seen by anyone in days. Rumour said that she was dead. Janna hoped that she was.

She had slammed her fist into his neck as he brought the knife down into the meat. His fingers let the knife fall moment too late, and his palm was slit open as he fell to the floor. Janna stood over him, looking at the pooling blood around him in disgust.

"You heard about her, right?" she demanded, kneeling down.

"What, ma'am?"

"She's dead. The little Southern bitch. Someone snuck into the embassy, cut her throat out." Janna dove into the depths of her imagination to conjure an image Theta would not forget any time soon. "Held her down and took it out. Got her mom, too. Isn't that sad?" she mocked. "Your stupid little friend…"

"Ghost?"

"Her name doesn't matter. She's the reason Epsilon's gone. And you're the one who helped her stay here. You helped her at the Academy. I know that you did. The Southern bastards have decided that they should break their 'code' and fight back. There are five Northerners dead now. It's your fault for making her think she was welcome here."

"How many Southerners?" Theta whispered softly.

"Hundreds."

Theta let out a small sob. He was in so much pain. The blood was seeping into his pants, and he would have to soak them later. He would get beaten for ruining his clothes. There were so many people dead. Ghost was dead.

"Oh, shut up," she hissed before hitting his head and standing back up. "If you were my child…"

Theta looked up at her, tears still slipping out of the corners of his eyes. "What?"

"Oh don't act like you don't know. Do you look anything like me, boy? You've got her hair, her eyes." She snarled something incoherent and sneered at him. "You're just as pathetic as her, too."

"Her?"

"Her! Rassilon, you're more stupid than I thought! I'm glad that you're not mine…. "

Theta collected himself long enough to stand up. He continued to look at his hand and refused to look at Janna.

"You're not... You're not my mother?"

"No."

"And Epsilon?"

"You're really asking that?"

"Is he my father?"

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me, boy. Go to your room and stay there. I don't want to deal with you. Maybe tomorrow you can come out again." With that, she turned her back to him and walked out.

Theta stood there, clutching his hand as blood dripped to the floor. He was beginning to feel a little light-headed. He wasn't even sure of what he had heard. It was surely a lie. But he did notice it- she looked nothing like him. With her thick fingers and blunt features, she was the opposite of Theta. He took another deep breath with the intent to let it out, but instead it came out as a sob. It took him another breath to move his feet. He put his hand against his shirt so the blood would not drip on the carpet as he walked to his room. He was shaking. He was tired. He heard Zeta and Kappa giggling at the top of the stairs. He did not even have the energy to feel dread. He walked past them without a second glance.

He did not see that they were shocked. They had a bucket of water between them, but they were staring at Theta's hand in horror. He walked away before they even managed to think about sloshing the water on him. When he got to his room, he walked straight to his closet where he kept rags. He tied one of the thinner ones around his palm tightly. It stung. It hurt so badly.

Theta was ashamed of the tears that continued to stream down his face. He was so weak. He was so weak that his friend was dead and it was his fault that all these people were dead. But there was something that made sense amongst all of the pain.

Janna hated him, but she was not his mother. There was a comforting clarity in it. She was thick and small. She was like the twins. But Theta was not related to her. He could be free of her one day. It was such sharp knowledge that it cut through the pain that fogged his mind. He let out a giggle and then another cry. He could be free of her. He could be free.

There was no noise out in the hallway. There was no noise from the downstairs. It was silent, but not comfortably so. Theta knew he could not go downstairs, but there was a window in his room. There was a tree outside of it. He could get out. He could make it out of the house. He walked over the pane and looked down. There was no one on the street. He panted as he struggled to lift the window with his injured hand, using his good hand to work it from side to side. He had not opened it in so long that it was nearly cemented into place. But it did open.

He looked out once more. The tree was further away than he thought, but he would not give up. He was going to leave if it killed him. A part of him hoped that it would kill him. Ghost was dead. It was his fault, too. He could not protect anyone, not even himself. Epsilon was right. He was so weak. He was-

Theta stopped the thought by reaching for the nearest branch from the old tree. It seemed stable enough. That was, until he actually latched onto it. He squeezed out of the frame, putting all of his weight on the wood. It snapped, and he fell to the ground. All he let out was a groan. His ankle hurt more than his hand for a moment. He tentatively pushed himself up, slowly easing his way onto his knees. Everything hurt.

But he knew where he had to go. There was only once place he could be safe. There was one person he could trust.

* * *

><p>Koschei opened the door, wondering who had gotten past the new security his father installed. It was a genetics-based device which would only allow in certain people past the gates. If someone tried to force their way in, they would be killed on the spot. So, Koschei was honestly curious as to whom it could possibly be.<p>

"Kosch… Can I come here for a while?"

Koschei flung the door open and ushered Theta in, speechless. The younger boy was covered in scrapes and bruises, but that was not what truly concerned him. It was blood that stained Theta's shirt and pants and hands.

"Ghost's dead," Theta said as he looked at the floor.

"You killed her?!" Koschei demanded, grabbing Theta's shoulders.

"No! Somebody got into the embassy… Killed her…"

And that was when Theta passed out. Koschei caught the boy the moment that he started to fall forward.

"Ushas!"

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you, it looks like he did kill someone," Theta heard Ushas say. It was as though he was swimming, because her voice sounded so far away and garbled.<p>

"He said Ghost was dead…"

There was a silence as Theta struggled to open his eyes or make any noise.  
>"If she is dead, I swear to Rassilon that I will kill every last person involved." What startled Theta was the fact that Ushas, jovial, conversational Ushas was perfectly serious. The intent in her voice betrayed no ounce of humour. "When will he wake up? I need to know what's going on."<p>

"You've got to let him come to on his own. You could hurt him, otherwise."

"I will hurt him if he doesn't explain why he's covered in blood…"

"Did you not see the cut on his hand? Are you blind or just stupid? That's where all the blood came," Koschei snarled.

Theta managed to move his fingers. It hurt more than he thought it would. But he did feel that there was new wrapping around where he had sliced his palm. Koschei must have put it there.

"Koschei…" Theta started, managing finally to open his eyes. He was in so much pain. He was so tired.

"Thete!" Koschei immediately came into Theta's view, standing over him like an overzealous parent. "Don't you dare move yet. You need painkillers first."

Koschei walked over to the coffee table where he had placed a hypodermic needle. It was left over from when his mother and father had been attacked. Callia was given several epidermal shots to ease the pain from her cuts, but there were some left over. She had forgotten about them, but Koschei had not.

He walked back over to Theta and held out his arm. "Ushas, can you inject it? I don't exactly know where…"

"Yes, yes. You're lucky that, as a chemist, I've learned where to-"

"Just do it."

Ushas took the hypodermic needle and began to examine Theta's arm.

"Do you… really know what you're doing?" Theta asked her weakly.

"Of course I do!"

She found a good vein and pressed the needle in carefully. It took only a second for her to press the clear liquid into Theta's arm and pull it out. She put a finger over the puncture and looked to Koschei.

"Get me a towel."

The older boy ran to the kitchen and grabbed a rag. He tossed it to Ushas who then pressed it against Theta's arm. "You'll stop feeling most of the pain in a few minutes," she said after reading the ingredients on the back of the syringe. "There's some really potent stuff in here. I can't believe your mom just left these lying around."

Koschei made no comment, but began looking over his friend. Theta was covered in bruises and the cut on his hand was still oozing. It was deep, and it was bad, but it did not look like any irreparable damage had been done. And there was the cut on Theta's face, which was nothing more than a deep scratch. Ushas stood up and loomed over the younger boy.

She was waiting for an explanation, trying to calm her racing heart. Ghost could be dead, and the thought frightened her deeply. It was a pain somewhere in her chest. It was something she had never felt before. And it kept distracting her. She could hardly even recite the ten most corrosive chemicals off the top of her head. She got to four before she was distracted, and that had never happened before.

"My… My mom said it. She said that someone had broken into the embassy and attacked the ambassador's wife and killed Ghost. And I don't know anything more than that," Theta finally managed. He did feel better, and he was thankful for anything that allowed him to think straight. The pain was overwhelming only moments before.

"Let's go," Ushas said quickly. "Let's go and see."  
>"No!" Koschei countered, "What of that plan sounds like a good idea to you. First of all, we're leaving the safety of the security devices .Second, Theta can hardly move. Third, if the embassy could still be in an uproar. Four, how would we even find out what was happening with all of the security moving in, if there has been an attack, and-"<p>

"Read my lips, Koschei. I. Don't. Care. I am going to figure out what's happened. And I will kill the bastard that hurt Ghost. I am going out. No one will target me. I'm just one of the six daughters Imassa has had. I'll be fine. You don't have to go, this is for me."


	36. Chapter 36

_Year Five- Chapter 36- Bravado_

She was a strong girl, as she had been from the day she was born. Imassa often told people that Ushas had come into the world knowing exactly what she wanted and did not care how she would get it. She had seen all this in the eyes of the small, squirming babe as the medics asked what she wanted to name it. Brown eyes met brown eyes. Imassa swore that she saw something there, something in the child's intense stare that almost frightened her- Ushas seemed to have been born with the intelligence to see through her mother's eyes and into her soul.

Ushas had heard the story and laughed. It was ridiculous. She was just another child in a family of umpteen, the one who earned high ranks in the Academy, but often got called the name of her older brother or younger brother. Or younger sister. There was one part of what her mother said that she did consider to be true, however; Ushas knew what she wanted.

And as she walked down the street to the Southern embassy wearing her Prydonian robes and hiding a small kitchen knife under her sash, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to find Ghost. If her friend was hurt, she wanted revenge. And though she had seen Koschei become blinded by his fury, her anger made her calm. She processed everything around her at lightning speed. Koschei could do nothing when he was infuriated. He would hurt himself and others trying to be rid of his insanity. But Ushas was as collected as she ever had been.

Koschei and Theta followed behind their friend, neither looking well. Theta's face was an ashen grey except where the scratches seeped blood down. The rest of his battered body was hidden by school robes as well. However, they were Koschei's and the excess cloth that draped over Theta made him look even smaller and withered. Koschei hovered behind Theta as though he could look nowhere else. The younger boy, bruised and bloody, was his number one priority. Back at his house, he had been torn about leaving to help with Ghost. He did worry about the Southerners, he truly did. Years and years of his parent's anxieties had permeated his psyche, and he desperately needed to help those who needed help. But Theta was in more immediate need, it seemed. His friend, his roommate had been on his couch, unconscious for hours.

The only reason that Koschei had managed to achieve both of his goals was that Theta, after the pain medication had kicked in, demanded that he went with Ushas to find out what had happened to Ghost. Koschei had been so busy making sure that it was safe for his friend to move that he never noticed Ushas grab the knife from his kitchen. Theta had been too busy trying to remember how his legs worked to see Ushas tying her sash about her waist more carefully than normal.

There had been no protestors outside of the Mekails' house, presumably because they were all busy with this new development, but that had left the three children to sneak into the streets without anyone noticing. Ushas knew, from that moment on, that there would be crowds almost everywhere else they went. There would be those Northerners who panicked and went to purchase supplies in case of Southern retribution. There would be the militants who began to demand and prepare for an escalation in the war, but would do nothing themselves. There would be those rare few who tried to protect the Southerners, and would get beaten or jailed for it. And finally, there would be those who wanted to take the war into their own hands. Those would be the ones that Ushas knew to watch out for.

"Ushas," Theta murmured, looking ahead of them at a pillar of black smoke. Ushas wanted to scream, but it was only for a second. There were pieces of ash in the air. The fire was coming from the embassy, and she knew all too well that whatever fed it had surrounded Ghost at some point. Maybe it was Ghost herself.

"You two go back," Ushas demanded. "You don't need to be here. I can take care of this."

She almost snapped his neck when Koschei scoffed. "You can take care of this? Are you talking about the war? A little girl is going to stop a war? Or are you going to bring Ghost back from the grave? Or maybe you'll kill all of the-"

"I can take care of my own!" she snarled as she pivoted to face him. She only wasted a second on the older boy before continuing down the street. It was all so familiar. She had been here before with Theta and Koschei. There had been riots then. There had been screaming and yelling; there had been fury and anger.

Now there was screaming and yelling, but it was ecstatic and frenzied. The North was for the Northerners once again. The flames of the embassy symbolised their commitment to their idea of purity. They encouraged the destruction of a building older than most of the Time-Lords watching. It had stood for millennia upon millennia as a standard of nobility. Now it was ashes.

Ushas bit back her curses as she reached the edge of the throng. People were pouring out of the beaten gates that once protected the ambassador's family holding singed papers and books and small bits of furniture as trophies. She watched as men and women were cheered on as they broke property of the Southerners in front of the crowd. It was a chaotically choreographed dance of death and destruction.

But everything stopped when she saw a young Time-Lord, not much older than herself, holding up a familiar paper. It was that text that Ghost had once promised to show her. It had the same markings. It was the paper.

"What the hell even is this?" he called, eliciting roars of laughter. He put his hands on either side of the thin, scroll-like manuscript. Ushas calmly walked up to him, past the bubble of onlookers around him. It only took her seconds. And in another few seconds, she had her knife in her hand. She grabbed the document with her left hand and shoved the weapon into the young man's stomach with the other. She did not hear the screams, nor did she feel the blood that spurted onto her as she removed the knife from his ribcage. When orange flecks of light began to permeate her vision, she stabbed again. And again. Within another moment, she had stowed the weapon and darted away with the text.

Screams of terror arose after someone shouted, "Southerners!" and, "The Eclipse has been stabbed!"

Ushas wiped her bloody hands on the red robes, thankful that the bulky, ruby red fabric hid a multitude of sins. She found Koschei at the side, trying to talk to a woman. The Time-Lady was looking around nervously.

The woman's mousy hair was let loose down her back, pouring over her shoulders, and her squished features looked just as suspicious as she acted. She was just another Northerner in Ushas' eyes, but apparently Koschei was talking to her for a reason. Theta was standing back, holding his hands together tightly. She knew that he was still feeling the pain from the gash, but to anyone else, it would have looked like he was anxious; scared, even.

"Ushas… No one knows," Koschei said once the woman turned away and the girl approached.

"Is that…?" Theta's eyes latched onto Ushas' hands and he would not look away.

"Yes. He'll live." Ushas did not believe that. She had rammed the metal up to its hilt into his stomach. Three times. And two after the first regeneration attempt. She had punctured the lining of the organ, she knew. If the wound was not treated immediately, there would be irreparable damage to the Time-Lord's body. And it was always a dangerous thing, regenerating three times in a row in direct succession. There were recorded stories of Time-Lords regenerating completely wrong- organs not working right, skin not growing. With any luck, he would be dead after a painful bout full of hallucinations and searing burning radiating from his abdomen. But she smiled comfortingly and said, "He'll live, I promise."

She hated that word. Her mother had always promised her things. Light in the darkness, a warm night in the winter when there was none to be had… She was promised quite a few things by her mother, and none of them ever came. So the words meant nothing to her at all. They rolled off her tongue as easily as the truth.

And young Theta believed her. Perhaps it was the medication fogging his mind, perhaps it was the fact that Ushas hadn't truly lied to him before. Perhaps it was simply that he wanted it to be true. But whatever it was, Theta gave her a thin smile and nodded.

"What happened?" Koschei demanded, taking her hands into his own to look for injury.

"A man was mocking Ghost…."

"If you stab every person that sa-"

"I saved this." Ushas pulled out the manuscript. She held it gingerly, as though it were her religion, too. She knew that it was possible it would be all she had of Ghost. "They're taking everything else… Breaking it, destroying it, burning it…"

"Doesn't the Southern religion revolve around equivalent actions?" Koschei asked to Ushas, hiding her from view of the mob as she tucked the text back away.

"Yes," she said.

"Then these people are in for one hell of a negative tailspin." He began to lead her and Theta away from the crowd. "We'll leave. When we get back to my house, I'll send a message box to my parents. We'll find out what's really going on."

"No!"

"It's not safe here, Ushas! Do you really think that you're indestructible? We need to get back where it's safe. You've got what you could- and that's more than you should have- and that's it! Let's go!"

Theta nodded stiffly. He was not quite sure that everything around him was real. Normally Koschei stormed into something. Normally Ushas was level-headed enough to keep everyone safe. It was all so odd. He was also beginning to feel very tired. There was no pain, but he felt his eyelids drooping down as though they were weighted.

Ushas looked back at the growing pillar of grey coming from the old estate. There were still screams of both ecstasy and horror. No one seemed to quite know what was going on, other than those who were actively taking things out from the burning mansion. They were staking their lives on destruction. It made Ushas physically ill.

_If it's all true, about equivalent actions… What did the Southerners do to deserve this?_ Ushas wondered as Koschei quite literally dragged her from her place outside of the mob.

* * *

><p>She was just one of Imassa's many children. She was a middle child, neither the eldest nor the youngest, and therefore she assumed that she had no true place. She was smart, but so were some of her siblings. She was not pretty, but not ugly. She was only outstanding in chemistry. And that was how she had taught herself to think- in the mathematical and logical terms of science. But here she was, looking a piece of paper that supposedly held some spiritual power. And here she was, hoping that there was something in the universe other than numbers and facts and chemicals.<p>

She wanted her friend to be alive.

"Ushas, you can't tell anyone about what you did."

"I know, Koschei. I'm not stupid, Nor am I a child. Did you get a message box back yet?"

On the other side of the door, Koschei sighed. He was leaning against the wooden frame. He jiggled the handle once more, simply to check that it was still locked. Ushas had gone in and refused to come out. With Theta sleeping fitfully on Koschei's bed, the older boy had nothing to do but wait for his parents' responses anxiously.

"No, Ushas. I would have told you."

"Not if she was really dead. If someone had tortured her. You wouldn't tell me that. I know you."  
>"Look, I would tell you if I know anything. And I don't. Now come out… You know more about medicine than I do; you can look over Theta… Or maybe sleep. I know you haven't-"<p>

"Shut up, Koschei. If it were Theta missing, would you sleep?"

The question shut up the boy as effectively as anything could have. If Theta was missing, Koschei would have already raze half of Gallifrey to find out what had happened. So, in a way, Koschei could say nothing about the man that had surely regenerated and described Ushas to the authorities. He would have done much worse than attack one person to help his closest friend.

To his surprise, though, Ushas unlocked the door and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Could it be true?"

"What?"

"The whole… The whole equivalent acts thing!" Ushas' eyes were dry. She was tired. She couldn't last much longer without breaking down or collapsing into sleep.

"I don't know, Ushas…" At first he wanted to comfort her, but then he shook his head. "In all of our studies, have we found anything scientifically-based that offered the chance for there to be an all-controlling force that kept balance in the universe?"

"Gravity," Ushas shot back. "It holds everyone exactly as they are. It keeps-"

"Gravity is a force to keep us to the surface of our planet. There is nothing that could possibly work on such a great scale as to even out the deeds of everything in the universe that thi-" Ushas cut Koschei off with a scowl.

"I want to believe it," she murmured before pushing past him and walking into the living room.

Koschei shook his head and walked back to his own room. He glanced in to check on his young roommate. Theta was asleep, deeply so, and doing nothing more than twitching slightly from his dreams. Koschei walked around, thinking. He needed to sleep at some point…. He walked to his closet and found and extra blanket that he off of his bed after winter ended. He collected a pile of clothes that he could use as a pillow. He put them together into some semblance of a bed and walked out. He was looking for Ushas.

He found her on the couch.

She was covered with a shawl his mother had left in the kitchen. The girl had partly dried tears on her cheeks and was clutching the manuscript she had saved tightly to her chest.

_Next chapter: Equal and Opposite_

_AN: Hey, if anyone ever wants to beta for me, let me know. When I'm doing all my own edits, I tend to miss things, and that drives me nuts._

_And thanks to all of you reading this! You guys are the reason I enjoy posting this story, because you love it as much as I do. Thank you! ~Shara_


	37. Chapter 37

_Year Five- Chapter 37- Equal and Opposite_

The Protector and the Guardian, Callia and Mekail, had known Ushas since she was a small child who had chased Koschei around and occasionally broke into their house to talk to her friend. She was a member of their house more often than not, so when they returned to their home to find that same young girl lying across their couch, her eyes wide open and her jaw clenched together, they knew something was terribly wrong.

"Ushas…" the Protector said gently, walking up to the girl. "Koschei told us that you went to the Embassy. Are you okay?"

The older Time-Lady noticed the blood on Ushas' uniform, but said nothing. She was sure that the headstrong Ushas had gotten into a fight with one of the dissensionists, and she was simply glad that her son's friend had survived it.

"Is Ghost alive?"

That was the question that had plagued Ushas for hours upon hours. Her insides were knotted as she spit out the words with scientific precision. She would not betray that she was scared for the answer. Ushas locked eyes with Koschei's mother, her gaze intense. She would not be lied to, but she would know what happened. Her friend was her responsibility.

"Ushas," the Guardian warned gently from his wife's side. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave a small nod of his head. "She's alive, but she has been injured."

"Where is she?" Ushas demanded, jumping to her feet. Her mind went from being numb to buzzing with a thousand thoughts and questions and plans. Her grasp on the script tightened. "What happened to her?"

"Please, take a moment to calm yourself," the Guardian offered, holding her in place gently. "She has been harmed, and her location cannot be released. Too many people know where she is already, and there are many people who want her dead. We cannot risk her safety. Surely you know that. Surely you understand that. I know that she means a lot to you. And I know you mean a lot to her. She asked about you when-" The man paused and shook his head. "Know that she is safe, and that there are people caring for her."

"That's… That's not enough! I have to see her!" Ushas sounded desperate but felt petulant. She was exhausted. Her heart had been racing for almost twenty-four hours, and her moments of sleep had been riddled with anxiety, fear, and nightmares. She could not count how many times she had seen Ghost die in the last hour of fitful rest. When Ushas caught the frustrated gaze of the Guardian, she stiffened. How dare he be upset about what she wanted? It was nothing complicated. It was her friend!

"Mekail," the Protector begged softly. "If it were Koschei, we would find a way to get him in…"

Callia considered Ushas and Theta to be her responsibility. She knew about Theta's injuries from the day previous, and she tried to quash her fury towards Theta's parents. At the same time, she was struggling to maintain her composure over the attacks on the South. So many of the people she tried to protect were dead. Both children needed guidance and help.

"If you won't get her in, I will." The Protector took Ushas' hand and looked to her husband, not for permission, but for acknowledgment. Neither of them ever asked for permission, simply for support, which was what the Guardian gave with a small nod of his head.

"Please be careful, Callia."

* * *

><p>It was all so calm. It was all so white. There was something that smelled scaldingly clean about all of her surroundings. If she breathed too deeply, she would cough, but Ghost wasn't sure if it was the cleaners or if something had happened to her chest. She couldn't look down, but she would not let herself panic. So she simply let herself meditate, let herself rest.<p>

The air was cool, almost too cold. Her fingers felt heavy and hard to lift. They weighed so much more than she remembered. What time was it? She couldn't tell because the bright lights above her were blinding and did not let any natural light, or lack thereof, betray what time of day it was. She felt tired. Her eyelids felt almost as heavy as her fingers, but she did not want to fall asleep. She wanted to know where she was. She wanted to know what had happened.

This wasn't the South, she knew that much. It was not like her home. Everything was so austere. There was so little around her. She was a prisoner somewhere where she could not sense another person in the building. No one was there, but she was strapped to a pristine white bed in a pristine white prison.

Her hearts-rate began to skyrocket.

She could not move.

No one would help her.

The Northerners hated her. They had attacked her family and she began to remember what had happened before she felt something slam into her head.

_He was pulling her along, her father, his eyes wide. He was always so calm, a master of meditation and consideration. His composure was gone the moment the door burst down and flames began to lick at the walls. He grabbed his wife up from her chair near the kitchen and ran to Ghost who had been reading in the back of the small study near the kitchen. She saw the panic in her mother's eyes as she locked the doors to the study. Ghost's father rammed chairs against the wooden frame as her mother pulled back a bookcase to reveal a small door made of stone. Luacia shoved it open and pushed her daughter inside. _

_ There was banging from the doors to the study. Wood broke. Her father yelled. Her mother screamed._ Ghost remembered the fire's tendrils reaching out as people shove their way into the room. _Ghost panicked and tried to dart past them, into the flames. That was when she was hit. She called out for help. She called out for Ushas._

Machines beeped loudly in the background as Ghost whipped her head around. She had to be free. She had to get out. She reached out with her mind to find someone, anyone. She needed help. Though Time-Lords could connect through bonds with intimate friends through physical contact, Ghost did not need any of that. She needed nothing to connect to a person's mind, and she had promised herself she would never misuse her gift.

But there was no escape.

-Ushas!- she screamed with her mind, knowing that no one was around to help her, to hear her.

She did not notice when the machine beeping a warning next to her short-circuited and the clocks near her head stopped working entirely.

* * *

><p>"Okay, Ushas," Callia started, placing Ushas in front of her sternly. "You have to know that she had some broken ribs. She had a concussion and minor burns. She will be fine, but do not upset her."<p>

"I won't!" Ushas kept looking at the door near them nervously. It led down, into the ground, she could tell from the way the door was built and thermalized. That meant that Ghost truly was hidden. That made her feel a little better. No one would think that the old storage rooms for a weapons plant contained such a room or such a person.

"Our people heard about the plans for burning, but got there as it started. They found the ambassadors, but Ghost tried to run, thinking they were Northerners, and got burns on her hands and shins."

"The concussion?"

"When she tried to escape, one of the men tried to subdue her, but accidently knocked her out," Callia admitted, feeling terrible about, not only not catching the plans for the attack in time, but for not being able to keep everyone involved safe.

Suddenly, Ushas was anxious yet again. Panic stuck her so deeply that she lost her breath as though she had been kicked in the stomach.

"Are you okay?" Callia asked, reaching forward.

"Yeah, yeah. I just want to see Ghost."

There was something there. There was someone there. Ghost felt it just at the edge of her reach. There were people. There was a threat. The monitor, had it still been working, would have begun beeping its warning again. The lights above her were blinding. The silence around her was deafening. She was so alone.

There was noise. She reached out with her mind. She needed to know who was there.

"Ghost!" Ushas called out warily as she opened the heavy white door that led to the room Ghost was in. Callia had explained that there were hidden shelters that politicians knew about across Gallifrey, and she had hidden the ambassador and his family after their house was burned.

Ghost's eyes widened and her petrified expression melted into relief. Ushas walked over slowly, worried that she might startle her injured friend.

"I… um… I demanded to see you."

-Ushas…-

The contact felt so odd. Ushas had used her thoughts to communicate with Ghost only once before, and it had been simply as a test that Ushas was going to write a report on. It had been only emotional imprints, but this was different. She did not like it, but she would not refuse Ghost her only mode of communication.

"I saved this for you." Ushas held the scroll out and then set it on a small counter next to Ghost's infirmary bed. "Went and found it in the rubble…" she lied.

Ghost gave a thin smile, but Ushas saw the deep sadness in her eyes.

-My parents are safe?-

"Yes, they're fine, but hidden right now. You'll be fine, too. Just a few days of rest, and-" Ushas looked over at what she knew was a monitor for Ghost's vital signs, but it wasn't reading anything. Worriedly, she looked back to Callia, who was standing in the door, hovering.

"There was a blackout when some rioters blew up what was rest of the embassy. It ruined technology from here to Prydon," Callia supplied wearily. "I'll let a medic know about the machine."

The older woman walked away as though she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Ushas and Ghost both saw how her posture drooped and her voice trailed into a whisper.

"Koschei and Theta and I went to look for you," Ushas confided, walking to stand right beside Ghost. Her small friend seemed even weaker and more vulnerable than ever. Her eyes were sunken in, surely from shock or dehydration. Her light brown hair was splayed beneath her in knots that still smelled of burning wood. "I found a guy holding that… And I got it from him." Ushas had no intention of telling the bedridden girl beside her how she had stabbed a man for nothing more than a piece of paper. "I couldn't let them abuse it. I know that it means a lot to you."

-Have you read it?-

"No. It's yours. You never really did share what it was about with me, so I never pressed it." There was a silence between the two girls before Ghost bit her lip and frowned. "What is it?"

-My chest hurts.-

"Well, I think your broken ribs might account for that," Ushas teased gently.

Ghost strained to look down at her feet once again. She did not want to be restrained, but she assumed that it was all something to do with her wounds.

-You don't like me in your mind. I am sorry. I will stop.- And at that, Ushas felt the invasive pressure inside her head that bordered on a headache disappear. It was more comfortable, but the loss surprised her. It was suddenly empty within her thoughts.

"It's not…" She was about to continue, but Callia came back in with a young Time-Lord with wide eyes and a small stature. He was obviously a medic from the way he looked at the room with comfort and ease. He examined the machine and shook his head. He wheeled it out without a word to any of the women in the room.

"I need to get to a council meeting. I'm sorry, Ushas, but we need to leave."

"You can leave. I'll stay here." Ushas put a hand on Ghost's forearm and looked back at the woman who was more often than not more a mother to her than the woman that birthed her. Callia floundered for a moment, indecisive and worried.

"You don't have clothes or supplies. There's not even a place you can sleep… And I don't know if I can be back soon."

"I can sleep on the floor. And I don't need to worry about clothes. I go to Prydon; I've learned to go a few days wearing the same thing after forgetting to sleep." Callia was still wavering. "Please."

Whatever Ushas said seemed to have no effect. But Ghost looked to the older woman pleadingly. She could not be left alone. She was scared. She was hurt. She needed someone she could trust.

"Fine, but, please be safe," the Time-Lady said grudgingly.

_Next Chapter: The Setta'la Scripts_

_AN: So, yes, Ghost is not dead! I really do love her a lot. (No, I have nothing in common with her, that would be ridiculous). But I want you all to know that I will not let an OC become the main focus of this fic. She is simply an instrument for change. This fic is intended to explain how Ushas becomes the Rani, how Koschei becomes the Master, and how little Theta-Sigma becomes the Doctor. All of them go through huge changes to become these dark, miserable characters, and I want to explain that to the best of my ability. You've already seen some of the changes in Koschei and Ushas through their violent outbursts and emotional instability. _

_I fully understand how frowned upon it is to have such a commonly mentioned OC, especially since she appears in (what my readers have interpreted) the position of a love interest. I promise that she (Ghost) will not take away from the story line, nor will she over-write any canon I am aware of (other than those I am explicitly ignoring {IE looming}). Please consider, too, that as a daughter of a mental health consultant, I am using atrocities in childhood to explain much of the changes in these children. Therefore, to get this point across, I use more OCs (the parents of all of the children). There is so little information about this time in the Doctor's life that I have to flounder for canon things, events, and people to use. I have watched quite a few Old!Who episodes to better understand the Deca and their developments. ("The Mark of the Rani" "Time and the Rani" "The Time Meddler" and the Celestial Toymaker Episodes in particular.) _

_If you do truly have complaints with the way I characterize a character, please wait. There will be times that all three of the main children (Koschei, Theta, and Ushas) undergo huge changes in personality and emotional states due to traumas, but I promise that there are no 'useless' or 'careless' changes that I will make. If you do truly have a concern, talk to me. Now that I have well over 100 people invested in this story, and more hits than I ever thought imaginable, I feel like I owe you all this horrifically long explanation of what I am doing and what this project means to me. Because I truly feel there is so much in these characters that is left unexplored and unstated, and I am deeply connected to these fictional people (unfortunately...). _

_So please, please, please feel free to either PM me here, or contact me through my tumblr account (1-url-to-rule-them-all) with questions, concerns, or comments. _

_I love you all and want to give a special thanks to those of you that use the WWWY canon for your Prydon-era fics. {The Linn and Noble Bea} Sorry! I apologize for this monstrously long message! _

_~Shara _


	38. Chapter 38

_Year Five- Chapter 38- The Setta'la Scripts_

Everything is based upon energy. It is neither created nor destroyed, and this is the fundamental law of the universe. There is no machine, nor man, that can force anything into existence. Energy in all of its forms never dissipates. Energy itself can, not only refer to movement, but also emotions, for emotions are an output of work- work being defined as energy being exerted. Therefore, emotions and acts thereof are input into the universe as something that cannot be ignored, created, nor destroyed.

This is the basic definition of Setta'la. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction elsewhere, but if good emotions are acted upon and good acts output, then good emotions and acts will be returned. However, the opposite is true; if one releases only negativity into the world, then the same shall be returned to them. Everything is based on energy that can neither be created nor destroyed.

Similarly, though, it must be recognised that there is no truly altruistic act. If a mother saves her child from a disaster and sacrifices her own life in the process, she is continuing her genetic line, an act of long-term self-preservation. If one treats a stranger with kindness, one feels a small rush of dopamine into the brain. If a man saves a young woman he has never met before from jumping from a building and killing herself, he gets renown for said action. Therefore, there is no act that one can commit that has no benefit to oneself.

If the rules of Setta'la are followed, no woman or man or child will ever be able to claim that their behaviour is for an altruistic outcome, because the whole of Setta'la is based on output equalling input. Kindness begetting kindness, and hatred begetting hatred. Rather, the rules are followed to encourage a more positive world. With the constant belief in Newton's third law of physics (or for those not retaining a basic knowledge of the Earth's history, the early teachings of Yehhal, of Tor) and that of the lack of creation/ decimation of energy, the most basic expectations of the rules of Setta'la can be maintained.

In the beginning of Gallifrey's sordid existence, there were only one peoples, those based in war and violence. Rape, murder, and thievery were the most basic ways to survive, but out of those horrors there rose the few that envisioned a better world. They saw that murder only encouraged revenge, but kindness? Though it often was seen as a weakness, others wished to act kind in return. These early Gallifreyans compiled a manuscript of their beliefs in the return of emotion and outputs.

These early scripts were titled, "The Setta'lan Conglomeration on the Expectations of Output" (but this name was eventually bastardized to "The Setta'la Scripts"). As Gallifrey grew in its knowledge, size, and exploration of concepts, the war-torn, primal citizens began to adopt the belief system, if only for self-preservation. And under the guidance of an almost entirely peaceful civilization, brilliance flourished and ideas were more easily shared as those with an abundance of supplies dared trade amongst villages.

Over a millennia, the Gallifreyans became an organised but giant, intertwined series of civilisations. Within this time, progress flourished, and discoveries and new developments were produced at 76.322% the speed of those seen on Earth through its period of major technological development. Slowly, the North and South split into two different factions, but it was a peaceful and uneventful schism. The South was arid and an inhospitable environment for the now almost fully developed species. Young, brilliant scientists and inventors moved to the North where the land was more hospitable to experiments and living in general. Those that lived in the South, and remained there, were stark traditionalists, but they were proud to see their youth move onto what was considered a very remarkable pursuit.

The South remained tied to the rules of the Setta'la scripts created by their ancestors, as the actions and beliefs had permeated their very way of living. Those that moved North, though, found science to be a better guide than an expectation that relied on other people's behaviour. In science, one could control the things around them with a terrifying precision. And with science came direct law, which was never put in place in the South because it was never needed. And with direct law came the creation of a military and police force to defend the planet.

As the North, through Time-Lord Omega, created the first machines to travel through time and space, the South had perfected the art of extreme control. There were those who could meditate for days and go without eating for longer than the North had declared possible. While there was a constant push in the North to learn everything that could be learned about the sciences, the Southerners were content to learn everything that could be learned about their bodies, their minds, and their surroundings. And though those from the South were concerned about how well they could exercise control, it was never applied to inhibiting emotions.

While science and knowledge became the key to North, peace and personal success were those of the South. And the differences between the two, as Gallifrey became more and more advanced, were pronounced and, eventually, concerning,

Historians and several politicians knew this history well. Every child was taught it in the academies across the North, but they were told that their way of life was far better than the "complacency" seen in the South. By being in tune with nature and their bodies, the Southerners were easily seen as lazy or incompetent. The Northerners had diverged so far from their roots in the South that they forgot about the Setta'la Scripts, about the inner peace that their people once had, and about the world around them. And as this information was repressed through the degradation of the impression of the Southerners, the ignorant young Northerners became bigoted adults and rulers.

Thus came the Civil War and its roots.

The South had been so disconnected from Northern society that it had not seen the signs of the impending war, and the North was so involved in its own affairs that it could not understand the ways of those they shared roots with; they forgot the emotional guide that brought them out of a war-based society of waste and death.

* * *

><p>Ushas had learned all of this from Koschei who had learned all of it from his parents at a young age. With this knowledge fully comprehended and studied internally, and perhaps not even consciously, reading the Setta'la Scripts was fascinating. They contained an ancient and peaceful way to exist that, as reading, she found to be fascinating. With Ghost beside her, she read through the ancient Gallifreyan slowly, for she had not had a need to read such runes for so long. Ghost smiled brightly as she saw each gear in Ushas' scientific brain turning to understand what she was reading. Ushas was not insulting or disdainful about anything that Ghost believed. Instead, she was absent-mindedly admiring it.<p>

Occasionally, Ushas would mutter something like, "Why didn't they teach this at the Academy?" or, "Shit! How do you even manage this?" And Ghost would lie back against her rough medical cot and smile fondly. Her protector, her friend, was interested in her beliefs, fascinated even.

Eventually, Ushas finished. She shook her head slowly, but not in disgust or even confusion, simply in disbelief.

-Did...- Ghost stopped her signing and took a moment to figure out what she wanted to ask. –Do you understand?-

"Yeah, I guess. But what I'm a little confused by is how the hell you actually can do all this. I mean, you've really been by the book all last year. You never intentionally hurt someone- or unintentionally I think. You helped everyone who came to you, those being Koschei and Theta. You accepted help. You really only spread your positive emotions. I can't do that! Koschei couldn't do that!" In Ushas' voice there was reverence, something that made Ghost feel unbridled joy and grinned brightly. "Now granted, you couldn't raise your voice, so you're safe on that front of the rules."

-They're not rules; they're guidelines to help you become at peace.-

There was a pause as Ushas looked at the scroll and then her friend. Ushas wrapped the manuscript back up into its normal, cylindrical shape and set it on Ghost's lap. "So you won't fight back then? You can't, right? You'll just keep letting the North kill and invade? Surely that's not right…"

The small girl turned her head to the side slightly. She herself had wondered that question a thousand times over. If their peace and ability to remain true to the Scripts was attacked, surely something could be done. Surely there could be, if not retaliation, protection of some sort. Defence was surely allowed.

-I don't know,- she admitted. –My father said that he did not know either. My mother has studied the Scripts since her youth, and she says that the scripts do not allow nor forbay it, but she does not contest that it can be used sometimes.-

"Then you should set a precedent." And in her childish naivety, Ushas added, "I'll help. I'm not bound to any 'guidelines.' I can help you!" Ushas' gaze was intense as she promised something she did not totally understand. Beside her, Ghost sighed heavily and looked away from her friend.

-You haven't slept in two days.-

"Well. Neither have you. So we're even."

-You can go home.-

"Do you not want me here?" At that, Ghost shook her head rapidly, turning to look back at the young, strong-headed scientist beside her. There was a flicker of fear behind her eyes as she reached for Ushas' hand. She did not need to speak because her meaning came across loud and clear, though silent and subtle. She felt safe with Ushas around. Seeing the horror in her friend's eyes, Ushas hurriedly said, "It's okay. I got it." She paused. "I don't really have anything to go home to besides screaming small children. You might as well be my home right now."

For the rest of the night-or perhaps it was day, but the girls could not tell since no natural light made its way into the room- they shared small smiles and talked about things other than the violence above them. Neither wanted to confront the horror that meant they were supposed to hate each other.

Ghost fell asleep first. She had rested her head against her pillow as Ushas told stories of Koschei when he was little, laughing the whole time. As the stories grew into tales and the tales grew into the sagas of the small children, Ghost felt her eyelids droop slowly. It did not take her long to simply let sleep take her. After Ushas noticed this, she gave a small, fond smile, and curled her legs underneath her, but rested her head on the padded side of the medical cot.

"Ushas Imassa?"

Ushas startled awake at the sound of another person inside what felt like their personal sanctuary. She was instantly on the defensive, squaring her shoulders and moving to block Ghost from the person's sight. She relaxed, though, when she recognised the man. He was the one who had replaced the machine that was broken when Ushas had first arrived. He was carrying a small bag with him, and he held it out for her. "Lady Protector asked me to give this to you."

Ushas walked over to him and looked inside the bag. It was, as she expected, bigger on the inside, and contained what looked to be fresh laundry, an instant-cleaning kit, a pillow, some blankets, and some food. She hadn't even noticed that she was hungry. Or that her curly hair was tangled and mussed. Or even that the entirety of her skin seemed to be sticky.

"Thanks," she said, retreating back to her seat with her supplies.

"How is Ennaila Luacia?" he asked as he moved to the machine that beeped too often and too loudly. Readings scrolled across the screen on the back, playing back what Ghost's vitals had been throughout the time he had been gone.

"She's fine. She said that she felt nauseous earlier…"

"That's just the medication, but we can decrease her pain-killers now, and that should help." Ushas bristled when he used 'we' to describe what really was just him. He implied that he and Ghost were both in an understanding, which did not sit well with Ushas, but she tried to stifle the feeling.

"Okay."

Ghost stirred slightly and opened her eyes slowly. She panicked for a moment upon seeing the medic in the room, remembering only that he was a Northerner, but Ushas saw this and patted her arm.

The medic gave her a reassuring smile, but when he looked down at her arm, the smile faltered.

"Your IV is loose," he noted, bending down to examine it.

"Well, she's been signing to communicate. She can't really help that," Ushas countered quickly. The medic gave no response, but simply produced a roll of a silk-like fabric from one of his pockets. He tore off a piece and put it over the entrance to Ghost's vein.

"Be careful of it, alright?" he asked the Southerner, who nodded dutifully, if not tiredly, back.

He gave some more warnings to Ghost, but Ushas had stopped paying attention. She was thinking very deeply about something. It was not until he left the room that Ghost noticed her friend's distraction.

Ghost lifted her hands to sign, but Ushas gently grabbed her wrists.

"Look… I may not like it all that much, but…. for your sake… just think to me, okay?"

Next Chapter: Family

AN: So I'm rebooting this fic a bit! If you want to read an edited and slightly rewritten version of the first few chapters (and eventually all of WWWY), go to AO3 and look for the same author. (And also I'm changing them here, too, as I go.) Side note, I really enjoyed writing the theology in this chapter. It's a pity I can't fit a comparative religions class into my schedule next year... Thanks for reading!

~Shara


	39. Chapter 39

_Year Five- Chapter 39- Family_

Theta's hand still ached. His chest hurt; his arm felt like it was bruised down into the very bone, but more than he noticed his pain, he noticed the way he was treated because of his wounds. Koschei always stood in front of him when they were talking to someone else as though to defend him, and one morning when Theta woke up early he found Koschei asleep next to his door, sitting with his back against the wall as though he had been watching the door all night. Callia always had food on the counter before she went to meetings, which had grown exponentially in frequency since he last stayed over. When she did make it home for meals, she encouraged Theta to eat more than the young boy thought was healthy. Mekail, though he was never in the house that Theta saw, left books at the door to the young boy's bedroom. He also dropped off a paper that stated Epsilon was looking for him, but would not file an official report due to personal and undisclosed reasons. Ushas dropped by once or twice to pick up things for herself such as books and clothes, and she gave Theta salves for his hand. She informed him that Ghost had told her the recipe.

He was thankful that Ghost was alive, but did not have the heart to go see her. He did not want to see her in such a vulnerable state- for he had heard from Ushas that the Southerner was kept in bed all day and seemed very weak- while he was so battered. It made no sense, but he didn't want her to see him as he was, maybe for her sake so she didn't worry about him. Or maybe he just didn't want more people to know how weak he truly was.

Koschei saw the flicker of emotion in Theta's eyes when Ushas first mentioned that Ghost was okay and talking about them. He was never one to deal with his own emotions, but he knew Theta was scared. Koschei remembered when Theta had first come into his house, as he unfortunately tended to do, covered in blood, saying that Ghost was dead, and Ushas had accused him of killing her. It seemed odd, since they now knew that the two incidents were almost completely unrelated, that Theta would demonstrate fear at the mention of Ghost's recovery.

He brushed it off until the night that he sat outside of Theta's door. The whole day the boy had been looking over his shoulder and muttering to himself. Koschei learned that the night before, Mekail had left the note for Theta that said Epsilon was looking for him. Koschei felt the tenseness and anxiety rolling off of Theta all day, and, by the time Theta went to bed, Koschei felt like he had to do something. So he sat outside of Theta's door, as though Epsilon would actually come into the house to get him. It was ridiculous, but Koschei knew that Theta was worried about just that.

And throughout the night, Koschei heard Theta's begging and crying. He even opened the door once to twice to make sure that there really was no one there. Of course the room was empty but for the younger boy tossing and turning in his sleep, emitting shouts and whimpers. Koschei awkwardly retreated. He had heard it a thousand times before at the Academy, but he still felt like he was intruding upon something. As awkward as he felt, though, he felt even more furious. Epsilon had done this to his best friend. The man was a monster, more of one than Koschei thought he was himself.

Theta never mentioned the nightmares. He got up in the mornings as though nothing had happened during the night. His throat may have been a little sore, and he may have been soaked in sweat from the moment he woke up, but he said nothing. Though he never spoke of it, Koschei knew full well that the terror was based upon his father and his treatment.

* * *

><p>Koschei never did sleep well. There was always something, particularly the drums and, as he got older, other things to preoccupy him. So, it was no surprise that he was lying in bed without the intention of sleeping. He was staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head, his thoughts returning to politics as they often did. He was thinking about the councils and their impotency.<p>

A few hours after midnight, he heard something outside of his door. He bolted from his position and stared mistrustfully at the wood that separated him from the rest of the house. He wasn't prone to paranoia often, but noises in his own house often riled his thoughts into a mass of unstoppable nervousness. He walked over to the door and opened it without much thought. There was no one in the dark hallway. The muttering was coming from Theta's room. With a sigh, Koschei opened the door to the younger boy's room and looked inside yet again.

Theta was wrapped up in his blankets fighting off something that either did not exist or was entirely in his mind. Koschei felt for his friend, because there was nothing he could do to help. He couldn't free Theta from his nightmares nor his father. Koschei closed the door behind him and stood over Theta, trying to think of something to do.

"There's no one else here, Thete," he tried offer, folding his hands behind his back. "It's okay."

"Please… stop…" Theta begged in a whimper, still asleep.  
>"There's no one else here. Your dad's not here. I am…" Koschei knew better than to think he could do any good, so he was shocked when Theta's eyes snapped open, and he stared straight up.<p>

"I," the boy stumbled, trying to come up with a lie through his sleep-dulled thoughts. He knew Koschei would see through whatever he said, but he felt he had to cover himself somehow. He was laid bare, and he hated it. "I was…"

"I was just checking on you. I know you keep having them. I just thought maybe… I don't know what I thought. I'll just leave." Koschei turned quickly. He couldn't stand seeing his friend so scared.

"You don't understand. You don't have them." Theta brought the blankets up around his shoulders as he sat up. His intention was not to challenge Koschei, but to try to explain himself.

"You think I don't have nightmares?" Koschei asked, turning around, a little flustered.

"You don't have them like I do. I know that."

Koschei rather had to agree with that. Sure, he would wake up with a vague sense of dread or maybe fear in the pit of his stomach, but as far as he knew, he never fought with his sheets or screamed in his sleep. He hadn't known anyone to do that before Theta. "Yeah, I don't. And I'm sorry that you do." He paused. "Do you really think that he can get in here?"

"Does it matter?"  
>"Yes."<p>

"He hates me."

"Yes."  
>"And he's going to kill me."<br>That was where Koschei drew the line. "No, he won't. Want to know why? Because everything you dream about isn't real. You're safe here. Mum and Father would never let him inside the house."

"It's all real," Theta countered, looking down at the ground.

"They're in your head. You're dreaming all that stuff up. You know that, right?"

"I'm not dreaming it! He's done it all to me, Koschei! I'm not dreaming any of it. I'm…"

"You're reliving it?"

It was silent as Theta shrunk away from the question which he heard as more of an accusation. In the dim light, Koschei saw the reaction which had manifested physically as cowering, and sighed. He couldn't believe what the man had done to his son.

"Fuck him," Koschei eventually snarled. "Fuck your father and your mother. And those stupid robots that look exactly alike. You deserve better than all this. What other fourth-year wakes up every night terrified of his own parents? It's fucking ridiculous." He took a step forward, his expression intent as he watched Theta's face. "You know that, right?"

"I'm a fifth-year now."

"Not really. And you're deflecting. Your mother's a monster… Your father's-"

"Leave him alone."

Koschei knew that, had Ushas heard this conversation, she would have frowned when Theta only said to leave 'him' alone. That meant that he didn't care about his mother's reputation, only his father, and she would have said that was rather misogynistic. Koschei, however, really didn't give a shit about the psychology behind what was being said. He just wanted Theta to be happy.

So as his response to the stupid demand, Koschei walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" was the terse response. Koschei tossed the blanket onto the floor and grabbed the pillow Theta wasn't using. "I'm going to sleep here, and every time you freak out I'm going to wake you up."

"That's-" Theta was prepared to be furious. He didn't need help. He wanted sleep, not Koschei mothering him. "That's stupid! Go away!"

"How else are they going to stop? I'll wake you up, remind you that you're dreaming, and then go back to sleep."

Theta hissed insults in several different languages under his breath and shook his head. Koschei, of course, gave no sign of acknowledging this and threw the pillow down as well. He settled on his back and looked up at the ceiling once more. Theta inched over to the side of the bed and glared at Koschei.

"You're a bastard."

"Nope. I'm completely legitimate. Go to sleep, or you'll really hate me in the morning."

* * *

><p>It took a while, but Theta finally managed to drift asleep again. And it took a while, but the nightmares returned with a vengeance. The minute Koschei heard a hiss of pain escape from Theta, he bolted up and woke the boy. He reminded Theta it was a dream and went back to his blanket on the floor. This intricate dance of psychology continued for hours.<p>

Though Theta complained in the morning that he didn't get much sleep, Koschei got even less. He didn't even close his eyes once that night, and he was hardly even tired in the morning. Callia, who was actually home that morning, looked at the two and shook her head.

"I take it neither of you slept well?"  
>"Nope," Koschei answered easily, sitting back in his chair. Theta simply gave a small nod and continued eating his breakfast. She looked between them again and frowned.<p>

"You need to sleep more, "she chastised. "It's not healthy to just forget-"

"I've been fine, Mum, really. We just read books all night mostly. And worked on some stuff Borusa gave us before the year starts. We'll get it in tomorrow night. Promise." Theta was always awed and slightly disturbed at how easily Koschei lied to his mother. There was never any hesitation or panic. He hardly even seemed to think he was lying in the first place. Callia, though, knew her son far better than the boy thought. She knew it all had something to do with Theta's night terrors, but she said nothing. She respected Theta's privacy almost as much as she valued his health. She had already talked to her husband about it, but he said very little. Mekail had told her that they could hardly bring Theta to talk to a medic, since he was supposedly missing, and beyond that, they could not simply give Theta drugs to help him sleep since he wasn't their child and such drugs were hard to find without first being prescribed by a medic.

"Well, school starts soon. I guess you're just preparing for your school sleep schedule," she said with a grin.

"Yeah," Koschei muttered.

"And…" Callia paused before breaching a several sore subjects. "You are aware that Ghost has been required to continue to attend Prydon until her parents' terms as ambassadors are over. You'll have to protect her, you know. Both of you. I'm sure you already do that. I know you do, but, this summer has only proven that the North is more volatile than ever."

"We'll watch her back. And if something happens, Ushas will beat the shit out of whoever messed with Ghost." Koschei looked to Theta for agreement with his statement. The younger boy nodded emphatically in the middle of his next bite.

"And Theta has to go back home sometime before the classes start up agai-"

"What?" Koschei demanded rising out of his chair in a fury. "Are you serious? What is this? The fourth time we've sent him back just to get him back here in worse condition than before? You don't even care about him!"

"Koschei Mekail, you sit back down and listen."

Sometimes Theta thought that Koschei had power over his mother, but he was very wrong. There was something powerful in her tone, something powerful enough to keep her unruly son in line when she needed to.

"I care very much for Theta's well-being. He does need a haven, yes, and that is all that we can be. Especially since your escapade with your father's message boxes." She continued before Koschei could even attempt to lie about his actions. "And, Theta, know that we do care about you here. I would love nothing more than for you to just stay here."

Her unspoken words hung in the air. _I would love nothing more for than for you to just stay here… but you can't. _She owed much to Theta, much to his mother, and she would not let the woman's memory down. She had a job and she would do it; she simply had to wait until the opportune moment.

_Next chapter: Such a Degraded Race_

_AN: The next few chapter titles will most likely be from quote in Uncle Tom's Cabin. And I would like to put this out there- I am fully aware that in some of the chapters "Rassilon" was spelled wrong. THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT, I PROMISE. My computer, for some reason, corrected Rassilon to Rassalon every single time I used to write it, and I had to go into some of the programming stuff to fix it. I'm sorry! I've gone back through the chapters and fixed it where I've seen the typo. Let me know if you find more, please. Anyway, year six is going to start soon and that's when things are going to really get interesting. (And I cannot believe that we're already at chapter 40... This is incredible. Thanks for all your support!)  
>~Shara<em>


	40. Chapter 40

_Year Five- Chapter 40- Such a Degraded Race_

It was dark across the world. The lights from the city were bright, but the stars and planets were brighter. Beneath the infinite sky there lay two boys, not more than babes in the eyes of the universe. They looked up, or perhaps even looked down, to see what there was for them. As Time-Lords, they held the right, not the privilege, of seeing the universe as it was, is, and could be. There was no limitation on the infinite. There is no limitation on the infinite.

Had it been any other set of children, they would have been of no consequence. Most people lived and died without any recognition, love, or lasting mark on the universe. But these two boys were different. One would grow up to destroy everything he touched. The other would become a saviour for many but feared innately by all.

The boy who would never be able to curb his insanity pointed to one of the dimmest lights in the night's sky. "So that was Rhi. Where we visited. You'll be taking astronomy next year. It's pretty cool."

The boy who would never be able to curb his all-consuming fear pointed to one of the brightest lights in the sky. "I know that that one's Earth. What century is it in currently?"

"It's late 49th."

"It's old."

"Not nearly as old as Gallifrey."

There was a glance shared between the two them which only exemplified their permanent and destined personalities further. Theta, though having been through horror after horror, had an ascertainable hope for the future. Koschei, though having been raised in a happy home and having been groomed for living a perfect life, had a desolate fear for the future. However, neither of the children quite knew this yet. Theta was afraid of the near future. Koschei was excited for the near future. But being so young, neither knew how they could, how they would change.

"I don't want to go back," Theta whispered to the stars. There were innumerable places he could run to to escape his father and his mother- whom he was still confused about. Perhaps she was lying. Perhaps she was telling the truth. He wanted it to be true. He wanted to have some other family. Perhaps he had a real mother, a woman who loved him, and she was simply far away. Perhaps Epsilon had sent her away. The thought of having a loving family was something Theta longed for. However, he did recognise that Calllia and Mekail were also part of his family, and they truly loved him. But regardless, Theta was not going to breathe a word about what Janna had said to him. It was his secret. His hope. If he spoke of it, it was possible that his hopes would be shattered.

"I know," was the cautious whisper in return. "But we'll be going to Prydon again soon. You won't ever have to go back to your father." Koschei was, not only thinking of Theta, but also about Ghost and Ushas. They had hardly spent an hour away from each other in the secret hiding place they were holed up in. Ushas had ditched her experiments and acted like it wasn't so shocking. Koschei knew, though, that she never left something unfinished. That was, until this summer. Ghost was apparently doing fine and was ready to begin another school year. Everyone was just ready to be back somewhere stable.

"One week." It was a lamentation of sorts, but more of a nervous proclamation.

"Then you'll be a sixth-year. You're getting old."

"You're older."

"Don't be ridiculous."

An explosion rocked the air around them. Light flared up from the vague tops of Mount Perdition. Neither of the boys so much as blinked. It was a routine test of a bomb, most likely. They had been happening all summer.

"I'm never ridiculous," Theta argued without a moment's hesitation. He was the son of a commander in the military. He could have no fear over bombs. In fact, he had no fear of loud noises until his father was around. Then his phonophobia was unbearable as he listened carefully for a hint of what his father was intending.

"Of course not."

There was a pause for a moment as Theta let his eyes slide slightly out of focus. He was not thinking about the sky, about Gallifrey, or even about his father. He was thinking about Koschei to whom he owed so much. The boy had saved him so many times.

"I want to live here," he said without thinking.

"You want to live on Gallifrey?" Koschei asked mockingly, but not unkindly.

"No. Here. In your house with your parents." He left out the part that went without say_. I want to be away from my father. I want to be loved. I want to be happy._

"My father won't budge, Thete," Koschei reminded. "Even my mother can't talk him into it, and that means that he won't budge for anything." But he did not need to say that for the boy to know. As much as he wanted to leave behind the whole situation with his family, he couldn't. He had to live through it. Sadly, that was the key to getting out- living.

"Thanks," Theta said, and he meant it.

"For what?"

"For letting me stay here time and time again. I always end up crawling back to you and your family. It's a little sad."

"Not really. It just seems to be how it's mean to be, you know?" It was rare that Koschei acted philosophical, but this was less of a metaphysical statement and more of a fact.

The two boys looked back at each other, looking away from the fire near the top of Mount Perdition, which was being promptly put out, and the universe itself. The boy who would one day hate everything was brimming with confidence and hope. The boy who would one day die time and time again with a smile on his face in his attempts to help others was terrified and desolate.

* * *

><p>It was dark in the room. The artificial lights were comparatively bright considering how far underground they were. Beneath the layers of soil and rock there stood two girls, only slightly more than children in their world of hatred and anger. They looked to each other, or perhaps even through each other, to see where their hope could lie. As Time-Ladies, they had the right, not the privilege, of learning how to manipulate the world around them to make it what they needed, what they wanted. There was no limitation on the infinite. There is no limitation in the infinite.<p>

Had it been any other two young women, they would have been of no interest to the world. Most people lived and died without any achievements, hope, or productive additions to society. But these two girls were different. One would grow up to learn everything she could, and in the process lose her conscious. The other would change time itself out of fear.

The fearful and silent Ghost stood, looking up at Ushas with a large grin on her face. The ever-learning scientist was trying to sign out several different words in Ghost's language of hands. Most of it was wrong, but the Southerner didn't have the heart to tell Ushas that she should stop. It was flattering that the girl cared enough to spend her time on something that was, technically, entirely useless.

"I'm really not very good," Ushas said with a small, embarrassed smile. "But I'm trying, so that's good." At that, Ghost nodded vigorously. In the South, there was no grading system on academic correctness. All schooling was based on comprehension of knowledge, and there was no changing of a subject until a student entirely understood; though it would seem impractical, most students in the South did not spend twelve years in school as Notherners did. Usually they completed their basic education in seven or eight.

-You are very good,- Ghost signed slowly. She grinned at the light that spread over Ushas' face as she understood what was being said.

-I'm sorry that I'm not a big fan of the mind-thing,- Ushas attempted to sign. What she actually said was something more along the lines of 'I feel negative that I am not open-minded,' but Ghost understood what was implied and repressed her silent laughter.

-That's okay.- Ghost was more fond of her roommate than she had ever been of someone else. No one had tried to become her friend and understand her as much as this highly-intelligent Northern scientist. Even Ghost's own parents were usually busy and left her to her own devices. She did not begrudge them in the slightest for this, but that did not mean that she did not notice the lack of attention.

"This sucks," Ushas finally muttered, letting her hands fall back to her sides. "I know I'm doing it wrong." She really did hate being inadequate. They had all taken tests before they left school, and soon they would all be getting their academic ranks again, which they redid every two years. If Ushas couldn't even understand basic sign-language then she was doomed to have fallen from her spot amongst the Deca.

-It's good!- the smaller girl argued forcefully. She hated it when Ushas started to doubt herself. If the brilliant chemist thought she was stupid, what did it make Ghost? A complete idiot? The Southerner did not like to dwell on it. She knew that she was not even close to the intelligence of Theta or Ushas or Koschei or Millennia… All of them were so smart and well adjusted. She was a simple Southerner. Sometimes she wondered why Ushas even spent time with her.

"I don't think so… Do you think that Borusa will have books on how to learn sign? I mean, maybe not him, but the library, and he can help. He knows more languages than they even teach at Prydon." She hesitated. "You know, you're going to have classes all on your own. Most of them, the Deca won't be there."

Ghost already knew that she was weak and vulnerable. Why else would she be hidden underground and away from her parents? She was fragile, breakable, and everyone seemed more than happy to remind her of that.

-I'll be careful.- And that much was true. She did not plan to leave her room for anything other than classes and going places with the Deca. They all cared for her it seemed, with the exclusion of Mortimus who seemed to hate everyone and, in turn, whom everyone hated.

"I don't know what that one meant, but I'm assuming you were trying to placate me. And I'll accept that. But I want you to know, honest to Rassilon, if someone harasses you I will personally douse them in a horrific mix of chemicals." It scared Ghost that Ushas was being entirely serious. She was not bluffing nor was she bragging. To her, Ghost's defence was a serious thing that was not ever to be joked about.

-Please don't say that.-

"I got that one!" Ushas proclaimed before quickly become sober again. "And why shouldn't I? I want people to know that that's the consequence of being a violent bigot. If I mean it, I might as well say it." Ushas' logic failed to appeal to Ghost. No one should be so violent; it did not bode well for the person enacting the violence. Their actions would be returned to them without a doubt. Noticing Ghost's falling expression, she said, "Sorry, sorry. I know you're not a big fan of retribution."

-It's okay.-

"No, it's not. I don't like making you uncomfortable." Ushas gave a small, apologetic smile and sat down on the other side of the small room. The medical bed was gone, replaced with a small cot. Ushas had recently just been spending nights on the floor while Ghost rested above her. For some reason, Ushas could not make herself leave. If she didn't watch over her friend, who would? And while she was thinking of that, she added, "Are you ready for more classes?"

Ghost shook her head tiredly.

"It's not bad! We'll all help you with your homework and you'll pass all your classes with flying colours. Promise." The Northerner's smile was so bright that Ghost couldn't help but smile in return. "And Koschei and Theta will hang out with us. And we'll all have loads of fun. Except for Mortimus who always has a stick up his arse."

Mortimus scared Ghost. He was too uncaring, too reckless. She simply nodded.

"You know, sometimes I think that I should get together with Drax and Vansell and make something that would allow you to talk or something. I mean, it's kind of really weird for me to just be talking at you. Well, talking to you, but having to not… I mean, I'm not trying to…" She dropped off. "You're fine the way you are," she eventually conceded, looking at Ghost's confused and slightly hurt expression. "I mean. It's my fault that I can't do the…" She motioned to her head with her hand quickly. "Which is something I need to get over. You know that I have nothing… I'm not being an arse on purpose? I'm not good with people…"

-You are,- Ghost argued. –You're just very blunt.-

At that, Ushas laughed. She could never deny the truth. What she didn't like, she ignored entirely for as long as she could. She could ignore Ghost's frailness for as long as she wanted, in her mind. She was strong. She could protect her friend.

The two girls looked to each other, ignoring the facts that surrounded them. Their world was on fire, but they could pretend that it wasn't true when they were hidden from it. The girl who would one day care about nothing was positive that she could defend everyone around her. The girl who would one day have no future was looking to her only hope with the expression of a drowning man grasping for something to haul himself above the water.

The four children would one day change the universe, but not before the universe changed them.

_Next chapter: Tragedy of the Commons_

_AN: And now onto year 6! I just can't wait for year 7 and 8 where all of the real action happens. Also, I am going back to posting bi-monthly now that classes have started yet again. ALSO- The next chapter title is from an article from the 60s which talks about how mankind will inevitably destroy itself with its concept of rights versus privileges. Which feeds into what happens with the Time-Lords. _

_Thanks for reading,_

_ Shara_


	41. Chapter 41

_Year Six- Chapter 41- Tragedy of the Commons_

"Eight hours," Ushas declared to the Deca furiously. It was only their second meeting of the year, and she was planning murder and sabotage. "Eight hours of damned homework. Theta had six. Koschei had eight and a half. This is ridiculous!"

"Ushas, it's normal. We're older now, so we're expected to do more work." Millennia's voice was gentle, calming, as she conveniently forgot to mention that she had been crying hysterically over her nine hours of homework and two hours of sleep the night before. Mortimus, as usual though, had a snide comment waiting in the wings. The moment he opened his mouth, the Deca prepared for stupidity.

"You just aren't willing to work for your grades." And that earned him the temporary enmity of everyone in the room. Jelpax, quite, collected, studious Jelpax spoke up, glaring at Mortimus.

"Shut up." His abrupt fury shocked nearly everyone in the room. "You just get your spectacular grades by sucking all the of the teachers' di-"

Koschei cut the other boy off before there were more insinuations than were absolutely necessary. "I vote we fight back. And I have a plan." His grin could only be described as malicious and disconcerting. The expression did not extend to his eyes, however, which was the scariest part of it all. "We're going to steal a TARDIS and go down to the South." But this plan made no sense to anyone in room. Mortimus' expression immediately turned to complete disgust at the thought of Southerners, which were to be addressed like a plague in his mind; while Magnus' brows furrowed, and he got to his feet. Ushas was already yelling at Koschei for being stupid and irrational, while Drax was jumping at the opportunity to do something entirely stupid just for the hell of it. Millennia shook her head, looking at Rallon and wondering if Koschei had recently had a concussion. He normally was not so ridiculously instigational.

Through the immediate violence in the air, Magnus found his place in the world. He did like strategy, and he always rather liked Koschei's unusual approach to mental warfare. This was one of Koschei's odder tactics, he would admit, but he did see its merits. He overcame the noise of the fighting and accusations of insanity with the simple raising of a hand and the straightening of his back. He had commanded utter silence, and he had gotten in. He had a gravitational authority that no one else in the room could ever command. He had been told time and time again that he would make an incredible commander.

"Koschei has validity in his suggestion." That shocked everyone in the room into a complete stupor for a moment.

"What?" Rallon asked. He knew full well that if there was a TARDIS involved in some stupid plan of Koschei's, he would be the one to pilot it, and he had no intention of breaking more rules than he normally did. For Magnus to agree that this ridiculous prank was a good idea would seal his fate. The Deca would never let him get out of working the machine.

"They have doubled the homework rate from last year," Magnus said coolly. "And this is to keep us students indoctrinated and out of trouble. The streets are dangerous." His eyes drifted to catch Millennia's. He was referencing when she broke her ankle outside of the Southern embassy during the riots previously. "And I am sure that you've noticed the curriculum has changed. They want us busy. They intend to turn us all into soldiers in a war against our own people."

"Southerners are not 'our people.'" Mortimus said, standing up to glare at Magnus. Neither one blinked until Magnus raised an eyebrow and turned to Rallon.

"Keep your ill-behaved pet in line." Furious, Mortimus raised his hand in an attempt to land a blow on Magnus. The small, annoying child was no match for the muscled future warrior. Magus caught Mortimus' wrist and wrenched it to rest at an entirely unnatural angle. "I will break you wrist unless you apologise to Ushas." That was when the rest of the room noticed that Ushas was also prepared to kill the boy.

"No! It's her fault that there's a Southern bitch-" Magnus twisted his hold, the inflection in his eyes never changing.

"Ushas, please come and champion your roommate, since she is not here."

Mortimus watched, eyes growing wider as Ushas stood up from her place on the floor and stood directly in front of him. She then took the pleasure of slapping the boy as hard as she could. Vaguely, she wished that there would be a lasting mark. Once she stepped back, Magnus let go of the other boy's wrist and let him leave sulk wherever he wished.

"You're all going to pay for that!" But no one honestly believed his threats. Magnus, always the man of few words, motioned to the door from Drax's room, where they were meeting, and waited for Mortimus to leave. The child, with his pride wounded, stormed out of the awkward silence, hands clenched into fists at his side.

"As I was saying," Magnus continued nonplussed. "Koschei's suggestion would succeed in his mind because he feeds off of chaos and would love to see the administration of the Academy furious. However, it could prove more than that. For those of you who do not plan to be brainwashed, we could all go to the South to see what is being hidden from us. I see it as less of rebellion and more of a continuation of our education." The Deca all stared at Magnus, sure that he had never said so much in one conversation in his entire life. Unsurprisingly, Koschei was the first to jump on board with this modified plan.

"I'm tired of being taught things that are entirely wrong. I want to see the South myself." Ushas was sceptical, as she usually was, but she was never one to be lied to, and she knew what the school was doing. She would not be a pawn if she could help it. She wanted to be a higher piece. Something with power. "And I'll check with Theta."

"I'm going to go. I'll ask Ghost."

"Rallon and I are going." Millennia declared after a glance to the boy. He seemed reluctant, but he knew for a fact that the argument presented was true. Drax simply nodded from the background.

"No," Vansell said, standing up. "I am not going into a warzone. I value my life."

"Agreed," Jelpax followed as Vansell went to the door. "I'm not going to listen to the rest of this plan, so when asked about it I can't give specifics."

* * *

><p>All of the Deca were correct in their assumption that the Academy was trying to keep them locked into their dorms with falsified history and knowledge. The moment war had been declared, history books were rewritten to say that the Southerners came from the Northern culture, the opposite of the truth. The calm, peace-based people were labelled as savages. Also, all medicine that previously had been credited as having been discovered by the Southerners was erased from the noted parts of both medical textbooks, and chemistry books, which Ushas noted within the first day of class. She had gotten rebuked and sent to Borusa for mentioning that the Southerners discovered multiple elements which had been attributed to Northern science in their rewritten books. However, it was a war, and there were the inevitable changes used to make the enemy seem ruthless and evil, if only to make the North's own attrition seem called for.<p>

Little did the children know, though, that thousands of Southerners were killed every day. The fact that the war was truly bloody was being swept under the rug by men like Epsilon who swept their massacres of citizens under piles of useless paperwork, marking it off as necessary and validated. There were fights, too, in the High Council, led by Mekail. He called the Northern soldiers in the South murderers and brought what he could to light.

* * *

><p>It only took the Deca two days to get prepared for their 'extra-curricular expedition' as Drax had started calling it. Theta reluctantly agreed to go along after considerable coercion. Koschei had only managed to get him to come with through bribes of food and offers to do some of Theta's political science homework. Drax was working on something in secret, skipping all of his classes to do so, which was only ever brought to the attention of Borusa since it was so usual. Rallon was eyeing which TARDIS to steal while Millennia researched coordinates to land in safely, areas very far from where the fighting was reported. Magnus' behaviour hardly changed, but he did keep a series of reports in his room on the Northern advancement into Southern soil, and he read them at least twice a day. It took Ushas a whole day to figure out how to ask Ghost if she wanted to come along, because she knew it would be a delicate situation. How exactly was one supposed to ask if their friend wanted to see her desolated homeland just for the hell of it?<p>

By the time she figured out what to say, she was sure that Ghost had already caught wind of what was going on from Theta or Koschei. There were few people Ushas trusted with Ghost, and those two boys were high on her small list, though they were both equally unbalanced in their own ways. So Ushas had come into her room, threw her hours of homework on the bed, and looked to Ghost earnestly, knowing she had to ask eventually.

"We're going on our own, some of the Deca, to survey the war-zones in the South. I just wanted to give you the option of going along if you're comfortable with it." Even that, though, felt rude and tactless. The simple two sentences made Ushas feel like the biggest arse Gallifrey had ever seen.

Ghost saw Ushas' falling expression, heard the falter in her obvious rehearsed speech, and knew that her friend was purely trying to be diplomatic. She respected that, but did not know what to do about the situation itself. Her home was ravaged, she was sure. Her parents would tell her nothing, which proved her worst fears. The war in the South was a massacre. She had overheard, late one night, her mother tensely telling her husband that their old house, which still contained most of their belongings, had been burnt to the ground after a fire-fight between the Northerners and their people. Hundreds had died in their living room as they were caught in the conflagration.

It was hell. But the South was her home and the Southerners her people.

-I will come,- she signed after taking a moment to consider it all. She wondered if anyone had died in her rooms in her old house. She wondered how loud the screaming was that night. The old house always echoed so much up and down the hallways.

"You know you don't have to," Ushas pressed, seeing the haunted look in the eyes of her friend.

-I'm going.- That was that, and Ushas later told Koschei and Theta, the latter of whom shook his head quickly.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he had murmured.

"None of this is a good idea," Ushas shot back, crossing her arms and sitting on top of Koschei's homework on his desk just to piss him off. "But you don't see me trying to get out of it. We need to know. And it was Koschei's idea in the first place. Yell at him, or Magnus, not me."

"There's no telling what we might see-"

"I think she knows that. I think that she knows more about it than any of us and just doesn't want to talk about it."

* * *

><p>Borusa always kept his TARDIS near his quarters, a large complex off-campus, which was for the use of the instructors at Prydon. Some lived there, mostly the unmarried, older teachers, but most lived in actual houses. Borusa opted for the cheapest housing, that provided by Prydon. It was a run-down old building, but Borusa rather felt that those were two things they had in common, looking run down and being old, so he stayed. And that was where his TARDIS stayed.<p>

Students were not supposed to know that sort of information, but Rallon did. And as he led the Deca off campus in the dead of night, he was sure that Borusa would never trust him with such knowledge ever again. He had, in his pocket, the replica of the key he had stolen from Borusa earlier which he had made with Drax's help. Borusa did not even notice that he had lost the original until Rallon had stood up during his class with the Deca and said he saw the key underneath a desk in the front of the room, where it easily and quite possibly could have fallen off of the teacher's desk.

Borusa had been thankful, said that he wondered where he had misplaced it, but he hardly seemed concerned. Perhaps he knew. Perhaps he didn't care. But regardless of those tangents, Rallon felt guilt sinking into his heart as he opened the door to his teacher's TARDIS and held it for the Deca to walk in.

Drax had devised thin slips that fit over the eyes that electronically recorded everything seen and could later be put into a more permanent place, since the memory on the nearly microscopic sheet was minimal, ten minutes at best, before the memory would be rewritten. He had distributed these devices to the Deca and had set them on timers, so they would all record a different set of ten minutes during their trip. They had, in total, had eighty minutes to gather anything worth recording. Seventy, actually, since Theta had turned out to have a severe reaction to the thin plastic the sheets were made out of.

Once everyone was stationed around the TARDIS control panel, staring at Rallon, he started the machine, triple checking the coordinates and processes. He looked like a man crazed with his eyes wide and hands flying over buttons and keys. Only Magnus and Koschei knew the skill, beside Rallon, and they chipped in where they could for the moment. After the machine rattled and rocked a bit, it stopped as suddenly as it had started.

Rallon took a deep breath, looked to Millennia, and then to Magnus. "It's your goddamn fieldtrip," he said tersely. "You lead it."

So Magnus walked over to the door and opened it to see bodies piled upon bodies in front of a large, smoking ruin of a meeting house. The blood ran thick, congealed, around his feet as he stepped out, his expression never changing, not even blinking, not even coughing at the smell of burnt skin and hair, as he stared into the flames leaping at the night sky of Southern Gallifrey.

_Next Chapter: Cross of the Fallen_

_AN: Yeah, be prepared for this fic to get violent/ bloody for a while. This is not a happy time for the Deca, nor the rest of Gallifrey. __And my updates will be bimonthly until further notice, in case I didn't already state that. __Thanks for reading, _

_~Shara_


	42. Chapter 42

_Year Six- Chapter 42- Cross of the Fallen_

"Oh," Millennia gasped as she grabbed her neck. "Oh Rassilon…"

The smell itself burned as it ran through their nostrils and down their throats. Silent screams still rang in the air, chilling the students to their very bones. Magnus took another step, horrified, but his expression of indifference never changing. Koschei pushed his way past the others; he was shaking, either with rage or with fear, but he did not know which and would never tell the others which it most likely was. Theta would not move, as with Drax. The two were simply stunned into shock. In the instant the door opened, Ushas' jaw dropped, and her hands fell to her sides, off of the nearby metal rail; however it only took her a moment to remember the Southerner at her side, the Southerner who was paling as each second ticked by. Almost mechanically Ghost walked out of the small door from the stolen machine and continued until she came to the pile of smouldering bodies nearby. Burnt hair, burnt skin, and burnt wood was a toxic mixture, bringing tears to the eyes of everyone who smelled it, even those who were emotionally unaffected. Ghost knelt by the edge of the ashes, staring intently at the incoherent mess of remains. Death had a unique smell that she would remember for the rest of her year.

Without thinking about pain or fear, Ghost stuck her hand into the smoking pile.

Theta stood with wide eyes, tears slowly dripping from the corners of his eyes. It was so much. It was too much. The smells. The sights. The horror, the despair, the pain. He used his sleeve to brush the protective tears from his eyes and moved to stand behind Ghost. Ushas had already pulled the girl away from the bodies, mumbling incoherently about the dangers of burns and chemicals and infections. She had an arm around Ghost, trying to brush the ashes off her hand and check for burns. Koschei swivelled around as the first to collect some sense of a world around them, a world beyond the death.

"We need to see if there are any survivors." He looked to Magnus, expecting someone to back him up, a level-headed individual.

"Yes." But that was not from Magnus; rather from Millennia, who had tied her hair back with a string from her wrist and wrapped her head-cloth around her mouth to make breathing easier. "We need to go as a group, though, to make sure that we can all defend ourselves." She was thinking of the riot, but that had been nothing at all, not compared to this.

"We need to get back," Rallon murmured to her, putting a hand on her arm. Ghost was crying slowly and silently, her expression unreadable. Ushas was holding her, staring at Magnus for guidance. She needed someone who knew what they were doing.

"No, Millennia is correct." Magnus looked to Rallon. Though he was shorter than Rallon, he had a commanding presence of one much older, and the taller boy dared not discount him. Ushas looked between the two and then to Millennia.

"What would you have us do then?"

"Ghost, do you know this area?"

The Southerner looked to the first in the classes at Prydon Academy and gave a determined nod. There was something she could do, even if it was too late for most. The war was still on-going; there was still work to be done.

"Please lead the way," Magnus instructed, heading back into the TARDIS for a moment. He returned with an armful of what looked to be weapons. Before anyone could question it, he began handing them out amongst the Deca. "These work to jam brainwaves. They are entirely harmless to the body, unless one collapses from the interference." Millennia stared at the cold metal of the weapon in her hand and then looked back up to Magnus. She abhorred violence, but this was defence. And she was standing next to a pile of bodies of men, women, and children that had all been murdered, mutilated, and burnt.

Ghost hesitated, waiting until Magnus was done before starting off. This was a small town that she had toured before with her father. There had been a famine here. There were starving children that Ghost had handed out food to. There were mothers that smiled and thanked her profusely, giving her compliments of the highest regard. The men had talked to her father, and it had only taken half a month to send provisions to these people. But that was years ago, and now they were all dead. The resowing of crops hadn't mattered, nor had the money that had been sent. Death enveloped all, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

And so Ghost led the way through burnt-out alleyways, her eyes wide and her hand tightened upon Ushas'. The silence that settled upon the students was entirely unearthly. There was nothing worse than knowing that death was silent and inevitable. Rallon stood protectively behind Millennia, eyes darting every which way, watching for danger. Koschei and Magnus were similarly stoic, but defensive. They were prepared for a fight. Koschei was angled so he could see Theta at all times, to make sure that his friend was safe no matter what. There was no telling what was around them under the blackness of the night's sky. Drax was paying his undivided attention to the flickering device with a small screen in his hand, recording all that the Deca saw, one by one, to make sure that someone in the North would be able see what was happening.

But the night contained nothing more than horrors for the young Time-Lords.

The path between the two towns was beaten solid by the many booted feet marching. The soldiers had come through not more than a day before with weapons and uniforms and intent to destroy. Ghost knew the changes to the landscape only boded for the worse, but mentioned nothing to those around her. If she brought it up, she would inevitable be right. If she kept silent, she could keep a quiet hope that the desolation had been contained.

Screams echoed through the cold air and hit the children like a wall of ice. They stilled, eyes wide, hands tightening on the weapons that Magnus had given them. Ushas held Ghost's hand tighter and turned to Magnus. He was their strategist, their guide.

"They're there."

And the group took off in a run with Koschei and Theta, the two fastest runners, at the head, moving towards the leaping tongues of fire that grew upon the horizon like tendrils from a blossoming plant. The dancing light beckoned the children, enticing them, reminding them of the hell that awaited them up the path.

"Hurry up!" Koschei yelled as the others fell behind him. He was refusing to tear his eyes from the scene unfolding vaguely before him. More screams and shouts echoed. There were commands being uttered, but they were unintelligible from such a distance. And as they grew close enough to allow the screams to enter their very souls, Theta recognised the uniforms of the soldiers. They bore the same insignia that his father wore home every day. It was a long blade crossed with a quill, the latter of which Theta had always found to be ironic beyond description, with a small Epsilon in the bottom right corner, identifying him as their commander. Now, finally, he was seeing his father's battalion in action.

Women were pinned against walls by the younger soldiers. Children were killed in front of their parents. Bodies were stacked up along the small entrance to the town, marked by a simple dedication stone and surrounded by stout walls. And there at the small entrance stood eight young students. Ghost immediately took out her stun-device and fired it on the first man she saw. He was tossing a body onto the side of the road. The child was no more than three years old. The child had its eyes wide open and its mouth stuck in a permanent scream. The soldier never even saw them coming before he dropped solidly to the ground. Magnus moved to the front of the group, next to Ghost, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay here."

Ghost shook her head.

"You do not need to see this."

Koschei shook his head.

"We don't have time! Let's go!"

"My father is here."

"What?"

"This is my father's battalion."

But Magnus was not listening. He walked over to the stunned soldier and began removing the jacket with the battalion's insignia upon it. He threw it to Koschei along with the man's weapon. He need not say anything, because both boys thought exactly the same thing.

"Get more as they come out and toss them in with the piles of the bodies they've created. If they burn with them, mistaken for Southerners, it would be fair," Koschei explained so the others could hear what he and Magnus were thinking. He left before there could be any argument. Koschei was tall for his age. He could pass for a soldier, and in the dark of the night no one would question him if they saw the standard-issue gun and jacket he wore, regardless of his pants, which were black, not grey as with the rest of the uniformed battalion.

As he went off, Ghost began to follow. Ushas grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. "No, no. Wait. Koschei'll figure out everything that's going and then…"

A young man in uniform, grabbing a struggling woman, came onto the main road, and when he saw them, there was a moment of utter silence. He dropped the Southerner and pulled his gun, but Magnus was prepared. He stunned the man. Ghost ran over to the Southern woman, helping her to her feet. She signed something while Magnus took the soldier's weapon and looked back at the Deca.

"We need to get Koschei and leave."

"Did no one hear me before?" Theta demanded, moving to stand at the head of their group. "This is my father's battalion. If I talk to him, I can get this all to stop!"

"What? And protect them like you've protected yourself?" Ushas hissed, eyes darting back to the entrance to the town.

"I'm not just staying here."

-Neither am I,- Ghost signed after looking away from the woman she was helping.

"I'm going to fecking kill them." Rallon was no longer in control of his anger. He had heard enough about war to know what was happening in the part of town they could not see. If it were to happen to Millennia, he would kill to protect her and these women were no different. The screams still filled the air. Perhaps they could still protected someone, anyone.

"If we go in, Ghost will lead us." Magnus turned to the Southerner. "You need to keep us to the shadows. Once we find Koschei, we are leaving. It was stupid to let him go in when there is nothing we can do."

From the back of the group, Drax commented, "We're half-way through the visuals, guys. We need to hurry if we want good proof of what's going on." But once he finished, there was the sound of a round of bullets from several different guns all at once, the sound of an execution.

Ghost did not wait for permission or even a consensus to go in. She had signed for the woman to stay put, hiding the dark of the road until they came back, so she did not worry about her. If she could save only one person, she could live with herself. Behind her, the Deca passed through the small dirt walls that surrounded the village. Inside, Ghost immediately ducked behind a large building and motioned for the Deca to follow.

"I'm going to kill you, you little bitch. But not after I get what I want from you," a voice echoed from around the corner. Ghost glanced to see there was a girl no older than herself shoved into a pile of grain, and above her was another soldier. His smile was wide and mocking. Magnus stood next to Ghost and shook his head. He pulled the trigger on a weapon, but this time it was the gun he had taken from their previous encounter. The soldier collapsed onto the Southerner. Ghost rushed forward and began signing again rapidly, hoping that the woman could at least basically understand her pantomiming.

"She says to hide on the road. We'll come back for you," Ushas interpreted, hurrying the crying girl to her feet and moving her towards the exit of the area.

"We need to continue."

"You shot him!" Millennia hissed to Magnus, only just noticing.

"He had no reason to be left alive." And he was done speaking. He continued on, staying in the darks of the small streets and watching the carnage unfold before his eyes.

_Next chapter: Death is the Road to Awe_

_AN: Next chapter's title is taken from "The Fountain". So yes, these next few chapters are really violent, and I do apologise for that. However, I promise that this is all for characterisation purposes, not just gore for gore's sake. Sorry for the late update and thanks for reading,_

_Shara_


	43. Chapter 43

_Year Six- Chapter 43- Death is the Road to Awe_

Epsilon stood amongst his troops, watching embers breeze into the sky lazily. It was a few hours till morning and all he had heard through the night was sobbing and screaming. He was tired of it. His soldiers were taking what they wished, and he was sitting in the centre of the violent mess as though he was a king on a throne, overviewing his people. The chaos was what bothered him, though, not the massacre. If his soldiers had a taste for blood, Epsilon was fine if they sated it every once in a while.

And as he sat on a large chair someone had removed from the meeting house before it burned down with several men inside, he wondered why the women never fought back against his men. Women were always so weak; they embraced death it seemed. Epsilon was rather glad he had sons. Well, two sons and a half of one. Zeta and Kappa were going to be strong men who kept their subservients in line. Theta, though… Epsilon refused to think about that boy. He would not distract himself from his great success because of a small failure. A haunting failure, but a small one nonetheless. So, the king sat on the throne of his massacre, unaware of the child dressed in uniform, watching him with murder in his gold-rimmed blue eyes.

Koschei had the stolen gun from one of the soldiers, and his heart was racing. He was so cold, but not from the chill of the night. Even the fires that dotted the once-peaceful town could not have warmed him. His fingers were chilled and slow to act, but only because the heat was centred in Koschei's heart. He hated men who abused their power. He hated those that preyed upon the weak. This had been instilled in him since he was a small child, and it took hold now. His finger was resolutely on the trigger. If he killed Epsilon, Theta would be safe. If he killed Epsilon, it would make the impression that the Southerners would fight back. No one needed to know it was he who had done it.

He lifted his arm steadily, raising the gun up and training it on Epsilon. He was a fine target. Koschei had never used a gun before, but the site on it lined up with the head of Theta's father. How hard could it be? In the chaos, he could slip away with the Deca and the hiding women that Millennia was surely taking care of.

As his smile grew, and he prepared for the backlash of the weapon that would surely ensue, a hand grabbed his arm and yanked it down. Koschei's eyes grew wide, and he snarled. As the gun fell to the ground, he swung a fist toward the man behind him only to have his hand caught at his wrist and forced downward. It was an unnatural motion, and would have hurt had Koschei's adrenaline had not been pumping so quickly, enveloping him in the heat of survival.

"Koschei!" Magnus hissed, slamming the smaller boy into the nearby wall, still holding his wrist. "You can't kill him."

Quickly backing Magnus up was a grim-looking Rallon, also dressed in the gear of a Northern soldier.

"Koschei, stop!" he ordered harshly, looking around to make sure no one had heard them or seen them. Fortunately, in the chaos of death, no one seemed to notice the three.

"He deserves to die!"  
>"Who are you to judge?" Mortimus demanded, his expression and neutral as ever. "You will have killed. You will be just as bad as him." But Koschei shook his head vehemently.<p>

"I don't have my men rape innocent women, and just sit there, and I don't beat my own-"

Rallon slapped Koschei across the face, and none too gently. "Get it together!" he ordered. His expression was dark, and he glared at Koschei. "We're getting out of here right now. We're going back to Prydon and informing someone. You can't do anything here. We were stupid to send you in. We're leaving."

Magnus nodded. He glanced to Epsilon. He would not deny that he hated the man. He was the epitome of corruption, and he had earned Magnus' distain time and time again. He did not, though, believe that killing Epsilon would change anything. The man was a single, small root in the corruption of Gallifrey, and if he was killed, another would simply replace him.

Koschei shook his head. He would not give in. Epsilon was his enemy; he had hurt Theta more times than Koschei could even remember. He was going to get the gun back and end the man once and for all until he heard quick, light foot step. Ghost and Theta, not in any uniforms, scampered over, their eyes wide and their clothes covered in blood.

"They're hiding outside now. We were almost all caught so the rest went back outside," Theta said before he noticed the fury in Koschei's eyes. "Koschei…?" he asked, moving closer when he saw his friend.

"He wants to kill your father," Magnus said cooling, wrestling Koschei into moving, using the smaller boy's arm to force him to turn and meet Theta's eyes.

"What?" Theta asked. He looked out from where they were and saw his father sitting like a conquering king in the centre. And after that, "Oh," was all he could manage. Fear racked his body, and he subconsciously melted back into the shadows. "Let's go," he whispered, panicked. "We need to go. Now."

Koschei took one look at the utter fear that had enveloped Theta, and two emotions overwhelmed him- protectiveness and fury. Epsilon needed to die, but Koschei never wanted to see Theta that scared again. "Then I'll kill him," Koschei concluded out loud.

"No. We need to leave," Theta repeated numbly, his gaze glued onto Koschei's face, though the boy was not really seeing him.

"We're leaving," Rallon decided, grabbing Koschei's arm from Magnus and shoving him forward.

Koschei tugged his arm away and glared back. "I can walk on my own." And then he muttered something about cowardice that no one heard nor care to hear. Magnus then took the lead, having Koschei trail. Rallon had Ghost and Theta walk in front of him, in case something happened. They were the two most vulnerable, and Rallon wanted to be able to protect them. Koschei had his own bloodlust to protect him, and Magnus was trained by Rassilon-know-who to fight better than anyone Rallon had ever seen. They could defend themselves, but Theta, terror-stricken and tiny, and Ghost, silent and fearful, were the easiest victims out of everyone. As Rallon was thinking about it, he was amazed that Ushas had left Ghost out of her sight at all.

They passed other scenes of horror as they walked, but ignored it. And they, in turn were ignored. They were three soldiers leading two captives across the town, one of whom was an attractive, obviously-Southern girl. In fact, there was nothing of importance that happened until they reached the splitting of the small wall that led out of the village. A bit beyond it, they found Ushas standing over a body, pressing on the corpse's chest and breathing heavily. Behind her stood Millennia, a hand on her shoulder.

"We're going," Magnus said sternly, walking up to her and discarding the helmet he had stolen.

"She can live!" Ushas hissed, not even looking up, but continuing her rhythmic thumping on the woman's chest. She would push once on the right side of her chest, then once on the left, and then she would repeat it. She was getting tired, so, so tired, but she was also getting the woman's heart to beat, if only sluggishly.

"She's gone," Koschei muttered from behind Rallon.

"No, she's not!" Ushas screamed, ripping her gaze up to stare at him. Her eyes were glazed with anger and unshed tears. Strands of her hair had fallen from the ponytail she had pulled it back into earlier, and they were plastered to her skin. Her face was fixed into a challenging snarl. "Tell me one more time, and I'll-"

Ghost signed, -She will not live, Ushas.-

Ushas shook her head, turning back to pumping the woman's chest with her hands.

-Ushas…- Ghost walked over to Ushas and knelt beside her. –We have to go…-

Tears fell down Ushas' face as she raised her head once again, now to look at her roommate. "They're all dead," she said numbly.

Ghost gave a nod. She knew better than any of the Northerners around her. She recognised some of these people. If she didn't know them by name, they were still her people. The woman on the ground, along with all the others dead, had sworn to upkeep peace and to remain true to the Setta'la Scripts. They were all connected, all brother and sister. But now they were dead, their murders held against the soldier's moral balances by a greater power.

-Leave her to move on in peace.- Ghost's hands were shaking. She wished she had never come. She wished that she had not seen the death, the violence, the horror. She wished she had been less noble and more cowardly. She was so tired.

Ushas lifted her hands up, trying to even her heavy breathing. "She'll die."

-She was dead the moment these Northerners stepped foot into the South.-

Drax, who was tending to the two women that had been saved from soldiers who were sitting by the side of the road, stood up and walked away from them. "We can drop them off at the other village and send them to look for help. We can't take them back. They'll be killed."

A harsh silence settled over the children. They knew that it was true. They could not bring back Southerners to the North, even in an attempt to protect them. They would be found and inevitably killed. Their best chance was to find some place safe in the South, where they could be with their own people. Ghost nodded gravely and walked over to the women. Millennia followed, leaving Ushas by the body.

"We can't take you back with us," Millennia said, kneeling by the two women, who were sitting next to each other in the dust of the road. The older woman nodded grimly. The tears on her face had long been dried.

"I lost my child. They can take nothing more from me." Her hand went to the triangular pendant hanging from her neck. "And their deeds will be held against them. We can move on and find help."

Millennia was shocked by the woman's acceptance of what had happened, and assumed that perhaps this was her coping mechanism, solid defence and complete acceptance.

The younger woman, barely older than Millennia herself, looked first to her, then to Ghost. "You are Caldin's daughter, Ennaila. You went to the North."

Ghost nodded.

"Bless you. And your friends. You are the bravest of us all." At that, Ghost shook her head quickly.

-You are,- she signed, forgetting that they did not necessarily understand it. –You have lost everything.-

"Let's move," Rallon called, walking over. "Do either of you need help walking?" he asked to both of the Southern women. "I can carry one of you."

"Arla's leg was injured when they fired into her home," the older woman said, motioning to her companion. I stopped the bleeding earlier, but I don't know if she can walk." Rallon gave a grim nod and picked the other woman up, ignoring her weak protests. The other stood up and straightened her posture. Ghost took the lead back to the other ravaged town with Ushas at her side.

They started in complete silence, all taking solace in their thoughts. Magnus turned to his endless strategies and military knowledge. He would predict the next towns to be hit so warning messages could be sent out. He could work with Borusa on that. Koschei was embittered and violently spinning thoughts of injustice in his mind. He could not believe that Epsilon would get away with what he had done. He would make others see what was happening. He would show his parents, he would show Borusa. He would show the world to stop it from happening again. Drax knew that he would have to cut out video from Magnus', Rallon's, and Koschei's lenses. No one needed to know that Koschei almost shot a well-known general in the army, a fact he learned from a muttering Koschei a few minutes earlier. He knew that he could use Ushas' view early on, but not later. The world would know what they had seen. Rallon was thinking about Millennia, worrying about her, but also about the woman in his arms. The Southerner was light, as though she had not eaten much in her life, and she also seemed to have lost a lot of blood. She looked pale and dangerously ill. He would not let such a thing happen to anyone again if it was in his power. Millennia was worrying about Rallon. He would not talk about it, she knew, but he would internalise it. He would brood upon it, but he would also help them spread what had happened. He was a good man, she knew. Ushas had dried her eyes and had let her cold anger envelope her. She was a chemist, a scientist. She should be able to save people, she thought, and she had failed. She had also failed to protect Ghost. She was a failure. Ghost, though, had an empty mind. She refused to think upon what she had seen. It was too much. She retreated to her most basic thoughts and concentrated on moving her feet and the size of her breaths. Theta, though, recognised one image and one image only. His father ruled chaos with an iron fist and a cruel smile as though he was born to.

_Next chapter: Explication_


	44. Chapter 44

_Year Six- Chapter 44- Explication_

Borusa was tired, and he was sure that his life would have been much easier if he had just agreed to teach novices before they joined the Academy. Those children were always frighteningly easy to deal with. They were quiet, calm, and always took orders. Why, exactly, he said that he would teach older kids, much less a group of geniuses, he did not know. It was not that he disliked his ten students; it was quite the opposite. He enjoyed the Deca far too much. He worried more about this group than any he had ever had before. They were all too concerned, too young to be exposed to so much, and Koschei and Ushas, the leaders of them all, were volatile. The first year Koschei made it into the Deca, Mekail came in and talked to Borusa about his son, about his son's ingrained insanity. Borusa had been taken aback, but it never occurred to him that the insanity could get worse than it was when Koschei was a child. Ushas had also been an intense child, and Borusa worried for her because she took everything so seriously and cared so much about her friends.

And he was tired. He had grey hairs starting to make their way into his black hair, and his beard was growing more and more scraggly, and he could swear that his eyesight was getting worse. As he scanned over research papers from Drax, Borusa let out a deep sigh. There was nothing he could control anymore, it seemed. With what was going on in the South, he felt even more helpless. He used to visit the South quite often, if only for relaxation not continued education, but now he knew that most of what he remembered, enjoyed, and valued was gone now, burnt or destroyed.

He was exhausted when the door opened, but his wariness disappeared as soon as he saw the state of his students. Koschei was leading the way, his eyes wide, and his clothes covered in blood. The rest following him looked quite the same.

"What-" Borusa started.

"They're killing them!" Ushas said, barging in and glaring at him. "You had to have known. They're all being killed, and there're entire towns being burned."

"Where were you?" their teacher asked, watching as his students poured into the room. Their expressions ranged anywhere from shocked to furious to miserable.

"We went South," Koschei said.

"We stole your TARDIS," Rallon admitted.

"What?" Borusa demanded, standing up and meeting the eyes of the only child daring to stare at him directly, Ghost. "What were you thinking? What were you doing?"

"We had to know what was going on. Now we do," Millennia said as she raised her gaze from the floor. "We have video evidence of what's happening. There are children, and women, and…" She trailed off as the blazing fury in her eyes dissolved into angry tears, and she closed her mouth, letting her gaze fall to the ground again.

"What did you see?" Borusa asked, walking out from behind his desk.

No one answered him at first. Each student seemed to be in their own world, busied with their own thoughts, and shockingly it was the youngest who answered first.

"My father was there," Theta whispered, slowly looking from the nearest desk to his teacher. "He was just sitting there while his soldiers raped and killed... And he didn't even care." A lump grew in the boy's throat, so he stopped talking. He wanted to say that he thought his father was only cruel to him. He wanted to say that his father only ever seemed to be angry at him. That the only time Theta had ever seen that look in his father's eyes before was when Epsilon was beating him. That horrible, empty, happy look in his father's eyes as Theta garnered new bruises and bled.

Before that night, he had only ever seen it directed at himself before, and Theta did not know how to feel about seeing it directed at something else. He was relieved that he was not the only one who received such a cool look of disdain while being hurt, but he felt horrible for feeling such relief. No one deserved what his father had done. No person could ever have done something so heinous as to deserve the destruction of everything they loved.

"Whose idea was this?"

"Mine," Koschei, Ushas, Rallon, and Drax said at the same time, awkwardly glaring at each other after they realised their lies had been tangled.

Borusa took a deep breath and looked to Ghost, who was still staring at him as though he were a shadow.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No!" Ushas said after Ghost gave a small nod, which was more of a shiver than anything else. "She just saw her own people killed and tortured and burned, and you're asking if she's okay?"

"Ghost?" Borusa asked. "Do you need to see someone?" When she shook her head, he looked to the rest of the Deca that stood around him. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No." Koschei tilted his head challengingly to his teacher and pulled Drax forward. "See for yourself. You have to understand."

"I do, Koschei," Borusa said softly. "I know what they are doing. And I am sorry, Ghost, that your friends thought it would be a grand idea to investigate a war zone and bring you along. And I'm sorry, Theta, that you saw what you did, but you children need to understand that there is little you can do."

"Little we can do?" Rallon demanded, his accent growing thicker as his anger increased. "You're telling us to drop it! There are carcasses littering the South, and you want us to pretend that we didn't see anything?"

"What do you want to do?" Borusa asked calmly, stepping back. "Do you want to bring this to the Head of Prydon? What can she do other than confront you about stealing a teacher's TARDIS? Do you want to bring it to the High Council? They already know. They ordered it!"

Silence settled uneasily over the children as they realised their situation. Drax shifted awkwardly on his feet and moved his recording device to sit on the desk beside him. Rallon let out a sharp breath and put a hand in the pocket of his pants where he had the key to the TARDIS. Koschei shook his head, slowly at first, a movement that nearly could not be seen, but he quickly escalated into complete denial.

"No. My father would never allow that. He wouldn't! He wouldn't stand by while-"

"If a single member disagrees with the rest of the entire council, he can be overruled," Borusa reminded.

"He would have told me!"

"How exactly would he breach that topic with you, Koschei? Tell me."

"He would… I…." The boy trailed off, his fury draining as quickly as it had arisen.

"What can we even do then?" Drax asked tiredly.

"Sit down," Borusa ordered, moving aside desks to make room for his students to sit on the floor. "Come on, sit."

And they did as they told, moving sluggishly and dejectedly. Millennia, Ghost, and Ushas swept their skirts to the side and sat awkwardly as their already stiff uniforms stuck to their skin with dried blood. The boys paid less attention to such things, since their uniforms were loose enough to prevent direct contact with their skin in most places. Absentmindedly, Millennia wondered how she would explain to her parents that she needed another new uniform, since this one was covered in blood, and it was hard to live with only two spares uniforms when she never had time to do the wash.

"Considering you situation, what do you think you should do?" their instructor asked.

"Give it anonymously to the lower councils so they can overthrow the High Council's ruling," Koschei offered. "If they knew what was happening, they would pull out."

"You have that much faith in the councils?" Ushas demanded, putting a hand over Ghost's to comfort her. "They ordered it knowing there would be casualties. In fact, I think that was the whole point. So why would we be able to change anything with raw footage. We're just a bunch of students."

"They wouldn't know that!" Koschei hissed back.

"We could… start a movement," Millennia offered thoughtfully. When she heard someone scoff, she drew herself up in indignity. "What? Do any of you have a better idea?"

"We could find ways to militarize the Southerners," Magnus said, looking at Borusa as he considered the options. "It was not hard to steal the weapons from the Northern army." It was obvious that he was disgusted at that. "But the Southerners will never fight back. I know as much." He grew quiet again, turning back into himself as he considered more options.

Ghost signed something that only Ushas understood, and the Northerner immediately shook her head.

"We can't just do that," Ushas said, not dismissively, but frustratedly.

"What did she suggest?" Rallon asked.

"We're not going to!" Ushas said, staring at her roommate. "How can you suggest that?"

"What did she say?" Theta asked.

"She wants us to forget about!" Ushas snarled to the rest of the Deca, her plain features twisting into a mask of rage. "But we can't just do that. We can't just go about our lives pretending that there's nothing we can do to help people! We saved lives down there! We fought back! There's something we can do, and forgetting that it ever happened won't do anything! Tell me I'm wrong!"

"You're wrong," Magnus said. "You're wrong in the fact that we can't forget. We can. But we can also help, can't we?" He turned to Borusa with a knowing look in his eye. "You wanted us to figure it out on our own, but would you have helped us to determine the solution if we did not find it ourselves?"

The teacher nodded solemnly.

"What are you talking about?" Drax asked.

"How well do you know broadcast sciences?" Magnus asked him with a small smirk tracing its way to the corners of his usually unmoving lips.

"Fine, I guess. I can get things to project, if I try. I can reroute signals, and make static overtake the teachers' broadcast devices." At that, he grinned, obviously reconsidering a fond memory.

"How well can you reroute?" Rallon asked, catching on to the idea quickly.

"Fairly well. I can practice, I guess. Why?"

"I want you to block every signal on Gallifrey to every communications device, message box, screen, and projector."

"What?" Theta demanded. "Is that even possible?"

"It can be done," Drax said, his thoughts racing and his smile growing. "They all run on simple frequencies to keep communications simple across the planet."

"And you will disrupt whatever is planned, and you will project what we saw. Moments of it, the impactful ones," Magnus continued.

"Will you show my father in it?" Theta asked at a whisper. His father would know that it had been him. His father would be furious, and he would suffer for it.

Seeing the fear in Theta's eyes, Magnus shook his head. "We will show no more than the destruction and the violence. Perhaps some victims, but no one committing the acts. That was what you thought of, was it not, Borusa?"

The teacher nodded yet again. As proud as he was that his students were so concerned with their own impact in their world, and as proud as he was that they cared so much about people that others did not, he feared for their future. As he looked around his group of students, he saw children who should never have seen the things they had, and done things that they never should have. He feared for Millennia and Ghost who saw and cared too much. He feared for Drax and Theta who took things to heart and never spoke of their problems. He feared for Rallon and Magnus who protected those around them viciously. He was afraid for Ushas and Koschei who not only had seen violence and grown up with it, but who had committed violence and showed no remorse.

He feared for his students, and he feared for their future.

_Next Chapter: A Disruption_

_AN: Sorry for the long break there. I've been working on applications to college, writing my NaNoWriMo Novel, and dealing with some tough things personally. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this. _

_Also, please note that I have made a grievous error! A reviewer pointed out that the twins' ages change…. And for that, I apologise. I have been writing this over several years, and I often have to reread a lot to find what I need to make references to. Therefore, there are inevitably errors that will occur. Please take the newest age for them as canon, and let me know if any other errors arise._

_~Shara_


	45. Chapter 45

_Year Six- Chapter 45- A Disruption: Part 1_

There were nightmares. Every night.

Theta had woken up in a cold sweat every night since their trip South, and Koschei heard his roommate tossing and turning, screaming and crying, but he dared not say a thing. He did not want Theta to know that he knew. He knew that the younger boy hated seeming weak among others, and Koschei didn't understand it, but respected it to some degree.

Ushas, too, watched as the girl she shared a room with slept and ate less than ever. Ghost lived as ever by her name. She sat at windows and watched the Gallifreyan days in utter silence. She went to her classes, did her work, and then sat on her bed. Ushas often caught her looking at the Setta'la scripts, but there was no expression in the girl's soft features, but she swore she saw tears seated permanently in the corners of the Southerner's eyes.

Both Theta and Ghost dreamed of the bodies, the blood, and the smell of burning hair. Of the assault of women, and of the image of Epsilon in the middle of the burning buildings and screaming children in the South, commanding the chaos.

Never had Borusa's classroom been so quiet as it was in the week following the impromptu trip to the South. Ushas' chemicals bubbling were most often the loudest sound that dared resound through the room. Even the scratching of pencils was a shock to the delicate air as the others took notes, and Ghost worked in the back of the classroom with Borusa giving her low instruction on how to complete her ever-challenging maths work.

As the others worked on things assigned for classes, Drax laboured with closed lips on the task he had been charged with. He started with the screens that were in the back of Borusa's classroom. Magnus or Rallon or Millennia would ask Borusa for his help finding something in the library, and Drax would test new set of signals to hack into the software until he found the right one. Within three days, Drax had the entirety of the school linked together through a series of connections and signals. There were some complaints across the school of private screens malfunctioning and channels disappearing during the last hours of school, but the investigations by the administration never went far- as the channels reappeared the moment they were examined and the screens worked as soon as they were turned off and back on again. Drax was nothing if not care careful with his work if only with this project.

And Magnus slept only a few hours at a time, so he could work with the videos they had collected. He edited together what he could and deleted things he considered to be better left unknown and unremembered. He also got rid of all evidence of Epsilon's existence in the South. He did not want the wrath of the man to fall onto Theta; he knew how the boy feared his father, and he did not want to make the situation worse. As Drax and Magnus worked on the technological details, Millennia, Ushas, and Koschei worked to make sure that, in seven days' time, all of Prydon would be in front of some sort of screen to see what they had found, though they made sure to not be plain about what was to happen.

Millennia talked sweetly to her friends outside of the Deca to encourage them to go to the technology rooms on the western end of campus. She told them that there would be a new program installed that they should see. She told them to spread the news quietly among other students interested in the field. Ushas encouraged children that feared her and respected her that she had installed a bug into the screens in the general hall and told them to watch in in a week, and to bring friends to watch it, but not to tell of the plan to any teachers or administrators. Koschei did the most world of all of the three, though. He talked to children all over the school, mostly younger students, using his hypnotic powers to make sure they were all compelled to go to class rooms, dormitory lobbies, and study lounges to watch the screens there. The benefit to his exchanges, though, was that there was no liability with those children. He made sure that they would not remember the conversation nor with whom they had spoken. They would remember, however, an impulsive need to be somewhere specific in a week.

Four days before the "premier date" as they had taken to calling it, Magnus called a Deca meeting to be held in Koschei's room. Koschei was infuriated by this because it meant that he would have to clean, but he did keep in mind that Magnus never hosted anything in his own room, and it was not a personal attack meant to inconvenience him. So the minute normal classes let out, Koschei lied through his teeth to Borusa about being sick and then sauntered to his room to clean it up. He threw old, graded papers into his already too-full desk drawers and tried to stuff dirty clothes under the mattress. He knew that, to a degree, everyone expect his room to be a mess, but Theta would be embarrassed beyond belief if his half looked dirty. The boy normally kept everything in place on his side- something Epsilon had probably beaten into him, Koschei assumed- but the last week had been tough on Theta, and he had not cleaned at all since he arrived back from the South.

He pulled Theta's sheets from the floor and began to fold them up around the edges of the bed. He tucked the corners in and went to fluff the pillows. He grabbed the first one, picked it up, and a piece of paper fell from the inside of the case. Koschei paused, considering what he was about to do. It was obviously something personal, and obviously Theta did not want his roommate to see it, since it was hidden. Koschei also was already worried, however, and he hardly cared if Theta got mad at him. The boy always got over his frequent fights with Koschei one way or another.

Koschei bent down and picked up the glossy paper.

It was the family picture that Theta had brought when they first met each other. The one where everyone was stiff-looking and aloof. The one where Theta was pushed off to the side. The left hand corner, though, where Epsilon once stood was burnt, cut, scratched, and mutilated. There were marks over the faces of the twins, as though Theta had tried to scratch them out. His mother was the worst off where stab wounds pierced the paper over and over near her face and neck. Finally, Theta in the picture was almost intact. His eyes, though, were scratched out with the tips of scissors.

Koschei stood up and set down the image.

"Shit," he said simply. He didn't need his year and a half of psychology classes to know that there was something seriously wrong with his friend.

He grabbed the pillow from the ground where he had dropped it and shoved the picture back into the case. He hurried to finish making the bed before Theta came back. He uttered a litany of curses under his breath as he pieced the room back together clumsily.

Koschei couldn't remember the last time he saw that picture. Not that it had been missing for a while, really, he just never looked at Theta's stuff, especially when they were things Koschei felt awkward about it. He didn't look at Theta's personal notes, his letters to his family, or his pictures. It was just out of respect. Though he didn't know when the picture had been removed from its frame and mutilated, he did know that it was not before their little excursion.

He stamped a foot onto the floor in fury. He should have talked to Theta about it all earlier instead of pretending that nothing happened and that his friend could sort things out on his own. He was abused, lonely, and stressed. Of course he was struggling with what he saw. And Koschei hadn't even tried to help. Koschei kicked the metal foot of his bed. It hurt, but he hardly noticed. He was angry with himself, and that overrode the pain.

The door opened and Theta came in.

Koschei looked at the clock. It was thirty minutes before the Borusa's class even let out.

"What are you doing here?" Koschei asked, calmly adjusting the high collar of his uniform and looking at Theta as though nothing was wrong.

"I was… going to clean up… since I heard from Magnus that he called a meeting." Theta walked in and closed the door, aware of the odd light in his friend's eyes, but unsure of what it meant. It was possible that Koschei was mad at Magnus or a teacher or something, and Theta did not want to be on the receiving end of the larger boy's fury. Not that Koschei had ever done that before, but Theta wasn't quite willing to put it past him.

"Well, I got a head start. So most of your side is clean now. I-" Koschei paused when Theta looked towards his bed with wide eyes. There was fear there, and Koschei wished that Epsilon was dead so he couldn't torment and scare Theta any longer.

"You did my bed."

"Yeah. I know the way you like it down, with your pillows under your covers," Koschei stuttered awkwardly, folding his hands behind his back.

At the mention of the pillows, Theta physically cringed and turned his gaze to his friend. "Why are you acting like that? You… You!"

"Look, I get it," Koschei said slowly, enunciating every syllable. "Things are a little… not good right now."

"You looked through my stuff!" Theta yelled furiously, his hands balling into fists and his brows furrowing. "You can't do that!"

"I didn't! I was trying to help you out! And I could look through your stuff, really, if I wanted to, because obviously you're really unbalanced right now and need help. You think I don't hear you begging for death in your sleep? Or maybe you aren't asleep when you say that." The minute those words passed his lips Koschei knew that he had gone too far.

"Shut. Up," Theta ordered with all the might of a young boy several inches smaller than average.

"Look, do you think I should just continue to pretend that you don't hate your father… your mother? And more importantly-do you want me to pretend that I don't see how much you hate yourself?" Koschei walked over to Theta's bed and ripped the photo out from where it was hiding. He held it up as though it was the ultimate proof there could ever be on the subject.

"Do not! Put that away! Shut up!" Theta yelled. His pulse was racing. He was tired. He was angry. At whom, he did not quite know, but he would be damned if he was just going to pretend that Koschei was right about things he couldn't even begin to understand.

"Make me," Koschei challenged, throwing his hands out to his sides.

And at that, Theta jumped forward and knocked Koschei to the ground. The older boy's head hit the metal base of the bed and he bit his lip to stop from making a noise. Theta punched Koschei across the face again and again, straddling his roommate, tears streaking his face. Koschei however was not about to fight back and prove to Theta that everyone who said they cared about him would hurt him. Instead, he gently placed one hand on Theta's shoulder, the one he was using to balance himself on the nightstand.

"Shut up!" Theta yelled again, though Koschei had not made a single noise since he had fallen. "Shut up!"

The next blow he landed was weaker. "Shut up," he hissed numbly, moving off of Koschei and collapsing to the side, crying silently. He curled his legs against his chest and encircled his knees with his arms, connecting his bloodied hands together.

Koschei sat up, wiped away the trail of blood from his mouth, and moved to remain in front of Theta.

"I'm sorry I hit you," the smaller boy said softly, his eyes remaining locked on the floor.

"Hey, I told you to," Koschei countered, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth in an attempt to get rid of the bitter taste of metal. He had never been a big fan of blood. "If we're being fair."

"You should have me expelled," was the pathetic response.

"Hardly. Like I'd send you back to them."

"Shut up."

Koschei held the picture up and tapped Theta's arm demandingly.

"Look at me," he ordered. Though he did not intend it to be so, his eyes became rimmed with gold and Theta lifted his head without any control over his actions. "You choose your family. Your family is made of the people who care about you, who you care about. These people," he said jabbing a finger to the paper, "aren't worth shit. I'm your family. Ushas and Ghost are. The Deca is your family. My parents are your family. These people are just who raised you." Koschei looked intently at Theta. "They mean nothing."

With that, he ripped the paper in half, then in fourths, then into eighths before throwing them to the ground and getting on his knees. "You got that?" he asked.

Theta gave a small nod and roughly scrubbed the tears off of his face with his sleeve. Koschei moved back, preparing to stand up and go to the bathroom to make sure that his head wound wasn't bleeding too much, but Theta got up as well and put his arms around Koschei's upper arms awkwardly.

"Thanks, Kosch," he said, staring at the remains of the picture on the floor. "You're the only brother I could ever want."

Koschei grinned and patted Theta's shoulder. "Hey, you need someone to teach you how to manoeuvre the world. And I'm more than willing to do that for you."

_Next Chapter: A Disruption: Part 2_

_AN: Hope you enjoy! This update is dedicated to Maggie for being generally awesome and putting up with my WWWY fangirling. And a special thanks to Megan who edited this chapter for me. _


	46. Chapter 46

_Year Six- Chapter 46- A Disruption: Part 2_

"Are you okay?" Ushas asked, looking at the back of Koschei's head suspiciously. "There's no way that someone beat you up. You would have just killed them. Did you trip? Or where's the body?"

At Koschei's hateful glare, Ushas's gaze darted to Theta. "Did you two fight? No way. You two never fight. It's like watching an old, married couple with you guys…"

"Ushas, drop it," Koschei ordered, standing up to tower over her.

Ushas raised her eyebrows, but did not back down. "It's not smart to hit him, Theta," she said, looking over Koschei's shoulder. "He likes to hit back. Only harder."

"Please, Ushas," Theta begged from where he was standing. "Please let it go."

"I'm just saying that I won't stand for an abusive relationship with you two. Although I always thought that it would be the other way around…"

"Drop it!" Koschei snarled.

"Please," Theta whispered.

Ushas stopped her questioning, only because of Theta's pleas. She frowned and moved behind Koschei, entirely unafraid of the boy though he tried his hardest to seem intimidating. She put her hand into his hair and looked at the cut.

"That looks pretty bad," she noted. "I should have Ghost check it out. You and I both know that she's crazy smart when it comes to her salves and stuff. She's kind of a chemist in her own right, if you think about it. She just doesn't do math well. But who needs math, really? Sit down." Ushas dragged him over to his bed and sat him down. "What did you do? Beat him with a lamp?" Ushas asked to the smaller boy.

"It was…" Theta started to say it was an accident, but everyone in the room knew that much was untrue. "The base of the bed," he admitted.

Ushas looked down and then back at Koschei. "You're luck you have a minute before the meeting starts. I'm going to go get Ghost. She always knows what to do. Unless you really want to go to one of the medics and file a report. And I know you, and I know you won't."

"I'll visit her after the meeting," Koschei grumbled. "And did you really just said, 'Who needs math?'"

"Yes," Ushas said, glaring. She walked away from him and sat down at his desk. "I'll hold you to that. You're going to make sure that doesn't get infected. We don't need you to get an infection and become crazier, you know. Gallifrey couldn't survive that."

As Ushas opened her mouth to start her next tirade, Magnus and Drax walked in together, Drax holding his door-opening device. In his other hand, he held a box-like machine. There were wires trailing all over it haphazardly. It looked rather dysfunctional, but everyone knew how powerful it was.

"This is my new favourite thing," Drax said, placing it reverentially on the desk where Ushas was sitting.

"Your crowning achievement," Magnus said more eloquently.

"Will it be ready?" Koschei asked as Millennia and Rallon walked in, hand in hand.

"Of course!" Drax grinned his typical, toothy grin. "And I don't think that I'll ever make anything better."

"Don't sell yourself short," Millennia said, looking at the machine in amazement. "Come on, we should go wire it in now. Just to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

"Yeah," Theta said, too quickly. "Let's go."

As the other started to pour out of the room, Koschei slowly got to his feet. He felt the resonant beating in his head increase, the drums, the noise, the insanity, beating in a rhythm contrary to his heartbeat. It hurt, too, his head. He was not necessarily used to pain, not like Theta was, so the throbbing ache of muscle open to air was distracting. And he was furious that Ushas had the nerve to ask him about how he got it.

"Come on," Ushas ordered from the doorway. After a moment she added, "You're looking a little out of it. Are you okay? Do I need to take you to a medic? It could have been a concussion."

"Shut up."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"No, you're not."

Koschei took quick steps over to Ushas, his eyes narrowed and his gaze meeting hers, which held no fear and no qualms. He was a predator, but she was no prey. As always, she stood her ground. As always, she gave the cockiest look imaginable and waited for the threats to come. But she was not scared of them. She knew Koschei too much. She knew everything about him

"We've got more important things to do than mother each other," Koschei said, leaning his head to the side. "Do you want to disagree?"

"Oh, by no means. But I also want to make sure that you don't ruin the plan. The world is more important than you. Do you want to disagree?"

"No."

"Then let's go." Ushas put a hand on Koshei's shoulder and pulled him out of the room, ever the mother and ever the friend. Koschei shrank away from the touch, but gave in, knowing that there was nothing he could do. Ushas would have what she wanted, or she would force other people to let her win some other way.

"Are you ready to watch the world burn?" she asked after a while.

There was no one else in the hallway, but their conversation felt exposed, suspicious. Koschei shook his head.

"We already watched Gallifrey burn."

"No," Ushas argued, her lips twisting at the corners. "We watched it smoulder. We watched the smoke rise. We're going to set the flames, Koschei. We're going to make the old world burn, and we'll make a new world. We'll fix it."

"You're crazy," Koschei argued, though not uninspired by her short speech.

"Says the one that the government has earmarks on in case he grows up to be a terrorist," she countered as they walked down the stairs. "Are you ready for this?" she asked again.

"I hope so."

_Next Chapter- A Disruption: Part Three_

_AN: I am so, so, so sorry for always being late. I will TRY to update by the second week of every month from now on. Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry this one's short, but this was all I could eke out today. _


	47. Chapter 47

_Year Six- Chapter 47- A Disruption: Part 3_

"I've got everything ready," Drax whispered, staring at the machine in his hands. The Deca stood around him, all watching with bated breath. This was the moment of truth—they would get to see if all their work paid off.

"Do it," Ushas encouraged. "Just press it now. People are waiting for it."

Drax looked at the girl and then back to his magnum opus. "Fine," he said, using his right palm to push down the red button in the middle of the metal .There was a beep which repeated twice, then silence.

"Did it work?" Ushas asked, turning to the screen on her left.

"Yeah," Drax said, setting it down and standing to stare at the screen as well.

They had broken into a classroom for first years to watch their work. They did not want to be in public where people could see them and know they were the masterminds behind it. No one could know that, but the group had to make sure that the invention worked.

The black on the screen disappeared, replaced by the image of a burning building. The camera faded in and out every few seconds, obviously from the wearer of the device blinking. It was hard to see anything, since it was night and the air was so thick with smoke. It made Millennia sick to think that she was breathing in the remains of other Time-Lords when she had been there.

"That's my view!" Theta said, sounding shocked.

The next scene was the pile of bodies. The women and men and children all heaped together and equal in the mocking silence of death. The most haunting thing was that there was no noise.

It was a silent hell that everyone across Prydon was watching at the same time. Outside of the room that the Deca was holed up in, administrators and teachers were racing to stop the broadcast. Children seated in lounges, classroom, the mess hall, the library, even in their own rooms with screens were staring as people were shot in front of their eyes.

One of the older boys in the mess hall noticed the skin colour of the people being slaughtered, and he began laughing. He pointed it out to one of his friends. The two began chuckling together until the first pointed out to the rest of the congregation that the victims were all Southerners. He sneered as he said this was the best programme he had ever been shown. There were others who agreed, enjoying seeing their own "supremacy" proven to them in front of their very eyes. There were others, though, who were crying, who were scared.

A first year in the library threw up as she saw a Southern woman being thrown into the ditches beside the second city.

Teachers were trying to get children to leave the screens, but few moved. Most were engrossed, watching for their own reasons. Some watched for validation of their power, some watched because they could look nowhere else. Some enjoyed the gore. Some simply wanted to agitate and rebel against their teachers.

In the classroom, Ushas was standing with the smuggest grin on her face. She had her arms crossed against her chest, wrinkling her starched, high-collared uniform. She felt like a god standing there, watching the truth be fed to the ignorant masses. It was beauty among horror.

Millennia hated what she saw. It was all too real; there were too many hurt. She clung to Rallon for the hope that she would be able to use some of his strength to forget what happened. Rallon held her to his chest, feeling her every breath and every beat of her heart in a vain attempt to distract himself from the truth.

Ghost, the poor Southerner, remained rooted in front of the screen in the mess hall. She had been picking up something small to eat before she went to her room for the night, but instead she was greeted with the sight of her people falling in their places and being tortured, killed. She could not move. She could not run, though she wanted to be as far away from the scene as she could.

The students around her began to notice her presence as the film dragged on. A few stood and walked over to her. No longer frozen, Ghost knew that her safety was on the line, and ran out of the building, seeing another stack of bodies out of the corner of her eye.

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you, whoever did this was a genius!" one teacher said to another as they frantically pulled cords in an electric-supply shed outside the eastern dormitories. "No voices, no faces, just what they saw. They've blurred everything out that they didn't want the world to see."<p>

"It's a fake," the other teacher argued. "It can all be projected using memory filters-imagination and nothing more."

"I don't think it's fake," the first said, ripping a blue wire from its place on the wall, dismayed to find that the lighting still remained untouched. "Several of the shots are from different heights, like separate people filmed it. Why would someone fake it like that?"

"How do you know that?"

"Because," the first said. "The angle they were looking up at the sky or looking down at the ground all varied." He was a maths teacher for accelerated students in years three and four. He was currently teaching his students about advanced pre-calculus, and he was at the moment coming up with a lecture about the applications of the knowledge, using the video and its filming angles as an example. If he caught the students, too, that would be even better, since he could prove that math was for more than just arguing theorems and filling a page with numbers.

"Got it!" the second said, pulling out a cord that had a label in circular Gallifreyan on it.

The two ran out of the shed and into the nearest dormitory lounge to make sure their efforts had succeeded. Instead, they were greeted to a still-working screen depicting a woman being rammed into a wall by a Northern soldier.

"Shit!" the maths teacher proclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"They must have bypassed the original power schemes. What student can even do that?" the other demanded. He taught ancient Greek to first years on. He had not met a single child in his hundreds of years of teaching that could cause such chaos so perfectly.

* * *

><p>"That was perfect," Koschei said after the screens returned to their usual black stasis. "We've shown the truth, and now the world has to listen."<p>

"Tomorrow there will be a mandatory assembly," Magnus predicted, looking at Drax's device as though it held the answers to the universe in its thin metal skin. "They will try to make people forget. They will try to say it was fake."

"But it wasn't. People have to know that," Drax argued, shaking his head. He refused to let his work go unnoticed, forgotten.

"We should go back to our rooms before they start searching the buildings. They're probably already sending kids to their dorms for the night so they can sort out what to say tomorrow," Rallon offered. Millennia nodded.

"I'm going to head out," Ushas said before anyone else could speak. "I want to see what kids are saying. Good night. And don't get caught, or I'll kill you." She was joking and they all knew it, so when she waved a careless goodbye, the rest of the Deca returned the gesture.

The curly-haired genius pranced out of the large brick and glass building, her eyes and ears open so she could learn what came of their project. Children were streaming from classrooms and the mess hall and the library, being herded by teachers to return to their dorms, so Ushas hid amongst the masses and walked.

"That was the best thing I'd ever watched!"

"Those stupid bastards. I hope we conquer the South."

"That proves it. We're better."

"Who even did that?"

"Probably a Northern Nationalist trying to gain recruits for a cult or something."

A teacher shushing the students was the only thing that kept Ushas from snarling at each comment that came from the mouths of the children.

She was cold with rage, her perfect mood gone. This was not how it was supposed to be. These children were supposed to take facts, synthesize them, realise their previous positions were wrong, and learn. But no! They were still slaves to stupidity as they had been before. Ushas berated herself; she should have known that no amount of knowledge could sway the intentionally ignorant.

By the time she made it to her dorm, she was chanting the order of chemicals she knew from most reactive to least under her breath. She had to hear something other than what her peers were saying to keep her sanity. She reached argon by the time she got to her room and opened the door.

On her bed was Ghost. Ushas frowned. The girl was clutching Ushas' pillow, staring at the wall with a hollow gaze. Her eyes seemed to process nothing, and Ushas had never seen this happen before.

The scientist closed the door and sat on her bed, staring at Ghost. "Are you okay?" she asked, knowing full-well the answer that was to come.

Ghost shook her head.

"You saw the video, didn't you?"

Since there was no response, Ushas knew. She lay next to her best friend, tired and frustrated. She had hurt the person she was trying to protect and encouraged the bigots that survived around her with her best work.

"Where did you see it? A classroom? The library? A lounge? The mess hall?" At the last one there was a small nod. "And did people turn on you?" Another.

Ushas bolted up from her position on the bed, the fire of hatred dancing in her eyes. She was the picture of fury, her curly hair buzzing around her head as though entirely untamed, her mouth open in a snarl, and her eyes glowing with an unholy light. "They're all stupid, Ennaila!" she yelled. "We wanted to show them what was happening, but they don't get it! We gave them knowledge on a silver platter, and they twisted it! How could they?"

-I don't know,- Ghost shared through their mental link. She sounded defeated and tired.

"Did anyone hurt you?" Ushas demanded, moving back down to examine what skin Ennaila had bared to check for bruises or cuts.

The Southerner shook her head.

"But words hurt more than wounds anyway," Ushas muttered furiously. "Show me their faces, and I'll make sure they won't ever be able to have children."

Afraid of what Ushas was actually capable of, with her vials and concoctions and bubbling horrors, Ghost refused to share the information with her roommate. As upset as she was, Ghost had no intention of being held responsible for allowing those children harm by the universe. She was always in the balance of good acts and evil acts, and she did not want to slip from that position. She feared for Ushas who often fell to the side of chaos and violence. It would not bode well for the girl later as her actions were returned to her.

"Why are you on my bed?" Ushas asked after a moment of taking deep breaths in through mouth and out through her nose as her roommate had taught her as a method to calm down.

-Yours is more comfortable,- Ghost said, though the girls knew that both beds were exactly the same. Ghost's probably had fewer stains on the sheets and mattress if anything.

"You just like pretending you're me," Ushas joked, trying to think of something other than how much she hated the other students of Prydon.

-Hardly. You fight with yourself too much.-

"Take that back."

-Tell me it's not true, and I will.-

But Ushas couldn't.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry," Theta said once he settled into bed. Koschei was in the bathroom still, probably washing his face, but the door was open, so Theta knew his roommate could hear him.<p>

"For what?" Koschei asked, a little louder than was necessary.

"Bashing your head in."

"'Bashing my head in?' You hardly even dented my skin. I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, you've have much worse, so I can't really complain to you. It's not your fault anyway." Koschei took a moment to actually say something he never had before. "It was all my fault. I shouldn't have goaded you."

"Did you really just say that? Did you just accept the blame for something?" Theta asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Go to bed. We have classes tomorrow, and it's late."

"You're suddenly in charge of me?"

"Drop it, Thete," Koschei reprimanded, his smile obvious in his tone of voice.

Theta laughed and closed his eyes, dreaming of tomorrow where he could see the change in the other kids. He and the rest of the Deca had walked home once the academy was already cleared of students. It was so peaceful, and there was an air of perfection about. He was sure they had done their jobs.

And he fell asleep thinking of how hard they had worked, how far they had come, and what the future held for every single one of the geniuses Theta had befriended.

_Next Chapter: Schadenfreude_

_AN: Thanks for reading! I'm particularly proud of this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it._

_~Shara_


	48. Chapter 48

_Year Six- Chapter 48- Schadenfreude_

"Do you think the teachers will have us all talk about it?" Theta asked, fighting not to bounce up and down in his excitement. He had pulled on his high-collared red shirt and too-stiff pants in such a hurry that he looked as though he had just woken up. His classes started in half an hour, and he wanted to see the change across Prydon for himself.

"They'll have to," Koschei assured, polishing his shoes before sliding his feet inside. He was wearing his uniform as well, but Theta always thought that Koschei looked more natural in the typical, traditional Time Lord garb. Koschei's demeanour was fitting, regal, powerful, and the uniform reflected that. Theta just felt silly, like he was trying to be someone he was not.

"I wonder if we can project it somewhere else. Maybe we could hack into the city system, even if it is better guarded…"

There was a knock on the door.

Koschei grinned at the thought and walked over to open it. A small cube floated in, and then another. A third one tagged along lazily, bumping into Koschei's chest weekly. He looked back at Theta curiously. The two other message boxes waited in the middle of the room. He closed the door and opened the one in his hands.

"They're going to question us. Don't screw this up," Ushas' voice warned from the cube.

Koschei narrowed his eyes.

Theta opened his one, and it projected on the wall that they were being summoned to Borusa's room. Koschei's second was similar. Both were sent from the office of Prydon's president.

"They won't know it's us. We accessed a classroom that any student could get into, and Drax made triple sure to erase any connection logs. We just can't say anything to implicate ourselves," the politicians' son said with ease.

Koschei recorded his own message for Ushas, "You're the one who talks all the time. You had better be careful." With that, he sent the decrepit thing off. Only after it was out of sight did he consider telling the young scientist to also charge the damn thing once in a while." He accepted that he had seen the message from the president and sent it back off to where it had come from. He did the same thing for Theta's while the smaller boy threw his books in his small bag.

"I don't want to miss my Latin lesson," Theta said softly. "We're learning about unrealistic wishes and causes and their conjunctions. I don't get it."

"It'll be quick. It's probably perfunctory. I mean, we are the top ten students. We would be the most obvious ones who would have the kind of know-how it would take to hack the school. Not that we don't do that regularly anyway, but we just won't remind them of that." Koschei paused after shouldering his own bag. "What were you doing last night, Theta?"

"What do you mean?"

"Were you doing homework when the broadcast came through? Were you sleeping? Where were you?"

"I can't say I was eating, they have cameras to prove I wasn't in the cafeteria."

"We wiped all of the camera records, Magnus, Drax, and I. You can say you were anywhere you want."

"I was walking along the western dormitory after doing my homework. Then I went to bed."

"Good," Koschei said. "I was doing my essay for Conceptual Psychology when you went to bed, right?"

"Yeah," Theta agreed, going to the door. He was not about to tell his roommate that he was terrified out of his mind. Getting caught meant expulsion. Expulsion meant that he would have to return home, return to Epsilon and his "mother" and his brothers. Theta hadn't even told Koschei about what his mother said to him. What that woman said. And he was sure it was true as he did more research into genetics, a class that he had slept through in his second year. And he feared that if he was sent back to his father, he would be beaten and starved until he was old enough to be forced into the military. He feared that more than death itself.

"Don't worry about it," Koschei encouraged, putting a friendly arm around his roommate's shoulder. "I can always wipe their memories or change them if worse comes to worse. I don't want to, but I can."

"That would be a room full of people, Koschei. You've only been able to do a few people before," Theta warned, remembering how after that experiment, encouraged by none other than the resident scientist of the Deca, Koschei had spent more than a few hours throwing up everything in his stomach and then retching his own spit when there was no more food or water to expel.

"You weren't there last time," Koschei said, sounding as though his pride had been irreparably damaged. "Last time it worked in the entire Deca room. I got through to Drax, Millennia, Rallon, Borusa, Jelpax, and Vansell. Ushas and Mortimus ignored me because they know all my tricks. So, yes, I can deal with more than just a few people."

"What did you even do to them?"

"I was mad at Mortimus and wanted to prove a point. All I did was make them all tell him how stupid he was. Then I erased their memories of it, and told Mortimus that if he ever spoke of it, he would regret it. "

"And were you sick afterward?"

"Maybe."

"When was this?"

"Three or four weeks ago," Koschei said with a shrug as they exited the first level of the building.

"Wait, was that the night that you said you the stomach flu, and you didn't leave your bed for two days?

Koschei's silence was more than enough for Theta to know that he was right, and Koschei extending his manipulations was hurting him. However, the boy could not deny that it was useful. He wondered if Koschei used it regularly on his teachers.

"Do you ever trick me?" Theta asked off-handedly, regretting the question the second it left his lips.

"No. I probably could, but I don't think you'd fall prey. And I don't really want to."

"Is there anyone else you won't trick?"

"Ushas. But that's because she's known me forever and always has been able to avoid it. She just…. isn't malleable like some people. And I suppose I wouldn't manipulate Ghost unless it made her happier."

"What?" Theta demanded. He never imagined Koschei being concerned with someone else's happiness, particularly not a girl that lived in fear like an animal, something Koschei seemed to hate so much. He hated fear more than he hated control.

"She's our responsibility. My family's, not yours. We let her come here, and now her home is being destroyed. My father and mother and I are responsible for that." Koschei glanced sideways at his roommate. "I could make her forget how horrible people have been. I could make her live in a dream."

"No, you couldn't," Theta rebuked, glaring now at his friend. "You're not a god, Koschei. And you can't fix mistakes by making people forget them."

"Drop it," Koschei ordered as they neared the library. "I'll do what I want, and you can't tell me otherwise."

It was so terribly childish, and Koschei wished he could have said what he felt more elegantly, but the simplest way was what he intended. Theta had no power over him, or at least he wished it was true. Theta held a remarkable amount of power over him, but the boy did not want to acknowledge that. And he did do what he wanted. He could. He was in the Deca, he was the child of the Guardian and the Protector. He could do whatever he damn well pleased.

Mad, Theta shook his head. "Fine," he muttered as they walked up to the second floor of the library.

Inside of Borusa's room sat three robed men and one woman. Borusa sat at his desk, actin g as though he had nothing to worry about. He didn't really, and he knew that. This Deca was the smartest group of children he had ever met, and they would not make simple mistakes. He knew they wouldn't get caught.

At least, that was what he told himself.

"Lord Guardian, we have made a movement to replace your seat in the council with the Lord Regent," the head of the council said, sitting smugly in his tall-backed chair decorated with ancient and circular Gallifreyan alike.

"You cannot remove me," Koschei's father said with a pause. "You have failed with this before. You will fail again. I have not acted out of line. My position is tenured with my good behaviour."

"Exactly. And you are an enemy of the state. You defend the Southerners even after they have attacked us and spread blatant propaganda to children at the Prydon Academy. The president reported that falsified information was broadcasted to horrify the children. This video was produced by the South."

"What?" the Guardian demanded, betraying no emotion.

"We will be extending the activity of the troops in the South."

"I will not allow it," the Guardian said, his head held high. He fought for these people, he fought for those that could not protect themselves, and he would not simply step down. He had held his job in the High Council for decades upon decades upon decades. He had always been unpopular. He was prepared for the consequences of his actions, but he would not simply back down.

"We ask that you volunteer to leave the council," the head said, just as Mekail knew that he would. He had seen this process before, almost exactly.

"Your request has been denied."

"Very well, we will carry out an inquest, then, to determine your ability to hold your seat here."

"If you remove me," Mekail reminded, "you will be intentionally disregarding valid opposition, and that is prohibited under paragraph 12 of our code." He paused. "I could quote the passage if the warnings there have slipped your mind."

"Your views are not valid opposition."

Mekail suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Not in your eyes perhaps, but history will decide its view. In the meantime, you'll find that I have committed no misconduct and shown no signs of insanity or inability to hold my office." He kept his face stoic as he added, "We are tenured here, and I have done nothing to subvert that."

It was warm in the South, warmer than Epsilon liked. It was quiet, though, and he did appreciate that. His soldiers knew well to keep to themselves when the days grew too hot to move through the ramshackle conglomerates of degenerates the Southerners called towns. The Northerners set up camp twenty kilometres from the nearest city, whose name Epsilon had promptly forgotten. It was something clichéd, he was sure. Something about peace or hope. The Southerners were rampantly sentimental in naming their cities, though Epsilon would hardly call them more than slums.

These people lived in homes of straight lines and angles, nothing like in the North. There was no art, Epsilon thought, in how they connected themselves to the earth, how each village raised their own meat and fruits and vegetables. It was too simple, too… human. He hated it. With every village he burned to the ground he felt a sense of accomplishment. He was cleansing Gallifrey of such a base existence.

"Sir," a younger soldier, only a private, addressed as he entered Epsilon's spacious tent. "A message for you from the High Council."

"You're dismissed," he ordered tersely after receiving the message box. It was too hot for pleasantries, Epsilon thought. When even the walls were perspiring and the air stilled itself in malaise it was no time to be around other people. It was a time to relax, sleep, and drink too much water.

"Lord Numeral," an unfamiliar voice addressed. "The Council has given you permission to move your troops further into the barbarians' territory. In three days' time, we expect you to have captured Aasha." With that, the machine turned off. Epsilon's eyes narrowed and his thin lips twisted into a frown.

Aasha was already preparing for siege, though they would not fight. Epsilon hated sieges. They were tedious, boring, and his resolve often left him and he ended up firing biological weapons into the area of siege if there was not a proper shield up. He was decorated greatly from the siege he held on Tiveris III where his men had been starving and dying faster than those they were fighting against. It was not a difficult siege. At least it should not have been, but the people inside had the only access to water. So Epsilon engineered a catapult, a disgustingly ancient machine, out of scrub wood and hurled his sick men inside, since he did not have access to his normal weaponry. The disease spread inside just as Epsilon had expected, and they won. Tiveris III was what promoted him to a general. He was proud of that incident.

The Numeral left his tent and stared at the horizon which was succumbing to tremors in the air from the heat of the day. He walked among men sleeping and drinking and looking generally pathetic. He arrived at another large tent and entered. Inside was a young woman, no more than twenty, reading an ancient map.

"I hate this regeneration," the soldier bemoaned. "No one respects a woman who's as young as a private."

"I could shoot you, if that would fix it," Epsilon offered. He had forced regenerations before, both his own and others.

"No," she said sullenly. "That would be a waste. And I suppose it's a good experience to be a woman once, to understand what they get so emotional about." She had previously been a he. An elderly man with grey hair and grey eyes that spoke of authority and responsibility. Now he was a buxom young thing with bright, innocent eyes, freckles, and, apparently, poor eyesight, from the way she was squinting at her subordinate. "Have you been a woman before, Epsilon?"

"No, ma'am," he responded, suppressing a smile.

"I'm sure it will be miserable," she sighed.

"Well, Lady Speaker, we have our orders," Epsilon stated, holding out the message cube so she could see. "We're going to Aasha."

"Shit," the woman swore at a snarl. "Why our battalion? I hate sieges."

"That was rather my response, ma'am."

"It's because you're here," she accused, adjusting her recently-ill-fitting shirt made for an overweight man in his sixties. "All you ever do is cause me problems." The Speaker paused. "Prepare the soldiers. And obtain a new uniform for me somehow. I may not like this regeneration, but I have to look respectable."

"Indeed." Epsilon saluted his superior and walked out, grinning as he thought about the helpless inhabitants of Aasha that would soon be bowing before him.

_Next Chapter: Sieges_


	49. Chapter 49

_Year Six- Chapter 49- Sieges_

Aasha was an ancient city, built upon the dry earth, a symbol of survival. The entrance to the city was defined by tall columns, decorated in blue with orange cats painted upon them. The animals were once native to the South, graceful, thin things that stalked among the towns without ever attacking the inhabitants. Now, they were hidden in the mountains deep in the South, far from the fighting that was taking over their habitats. The lithe animals pointed their painted muzzles towards the tall, sand-coloured walls of the city regally—a mark of history.

There were other protected places in the South, but Aasha was close to the border. Not four hundred miles from the last Northern city, Constantin, stood the mark of a society considerably different from that of the Southerners. It was built in a time when they were violent people, tribes fighting among each other, raping and killing and pillaging at will until they were introduced to a world of peace and balance. TheSetta'la scripts reformed this society, but still there stood protected battlements in the South, monuments to these dark ages.

There was a spring beneath the city, so an attack was more dangerous to those stuck outside the walls than inside. The Southerners were safe for the time being, but they knew that an attack was inevitable.

* * *

><p>Caldin stood on a balcony, overlooking the dry terrain that was his home, the land he had loved since birth. His wife was still in the Northern capital, keeping an eye on their daughter, Ennaila, but Caldin knew that his place was at the first true line of defence the South had.<p>

"Caldin," a young man said, bowing his head slightly as he approached. The older Time-Lord felt remarkable comfort in no longer being called by a title or some useless chosen name, but instead the one his parents had given him. "The committee is waiting for you."

"Devak, what do you see?" he asked, moving his hand to the bannister in front of him

"I see my home."

"As do I." There was a strange heaviness in Caldin's voice as his hands tightened on the stone under his finger. The smooth, worn rock had been there since before any recorded history of Gallifrey, so many thousands of years before. There was so much history they could lose.

"You are thinking of breaking the rules of Setta'la, are you not?" Devak asked softly, his eyes trained on the horizon.

"How else do we protect our home?" Caldin asked. "I am willing to risk the retribution of the world upon myself to keep my daughter safe. To keep everyone safe. Do you understand?"

"Of course. I will volunteer to fight myself."

Caldin frowned, imagining the horror that would soon play out. There would be people who starved. There would be priceless art destroyed. He had personally seen the remnants of a different city which had been destroyed not two weeks previous. There had been one of the first transcriptions of the laws of balance kept there, and the Northerners had desecrated it—burned it, tore it, used it for their own amusement. The Northerners did not understand the importance of a physical book when everything of theirs was kept on records in digital libraries. They did not understand the regard one could hold for the past.

"You will die," Caldin said, turning around to re-enter the building.

"So may it be. That is the equivalent punishment for taking a life, is it not?"

Caldin gave a terse nod, restraining from telling the boy how useless it would be to throw his life away when he had no qualities of a soldier. The boy was a mediator through and through. He talked well and listened better. He was not meant to kill those that he could help. His balance would be destroyed the moment he stepped onto a battlefield.

The diplomat pushed open the clear doors to the meeting room. Before him sat women and men alike, in an almost even ratio, all from different walks of life and different vocations.

The first to greet him was a farmer who went by the name of Naliny. She was of a great age, in her thirteenth regeneration, and knew everything was to know about the planet and its cycles. She had had two children, both of whom perished at young ages.

"You propose defence," she said after smiling at him thinly.

"Yes," Caldin admitted without hesitation. "You must understand, I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone's-"

"We know," Marut, a scientist said calmly. He was young, but he cared for people. "We respect you, Caldin, and we are aware of your position. Two of our daughters remain in the North where they are treated monstrously. I received the report from your wife last week, and Ennaila's report came in today."

Caldin's eyes widened and leaned forward, trying to determine whether the news his daughter provided was good or bad.

"You have not heard from her?" Naliny asked, shocked.

"I believe her messages have been blocked," Caldin dismissed. "What has she said?"

"She says that she witnessed the destruction of one of our northern-most towns, and that she survived without injury. This… travesty was recorded and played at the academy she attends in the hopes to raise awareness of the war. It was not taken well. She declares that the Deca, her friends, treat her well. She is close friends with a chemist who protects her. Both girls seem to be in good balance," Marut spoke, rising from his seat to put a comforting hand on Caldin's shoulder. "She is fine."

"I know the chemist. She seems to be very close to Ennaila. I trust her."

"Excellent. Back business," another man said. "What do we do about Aasha?"

"Hear me out," Caldin said, hurrying to make his point before a decision would be made. "We must break the rules of the scripts. I understand entirely what that means, and I understand entirely if we choose to stay true to our ways, but it is impossible for our children to survive under these conditions. If we do not fight back, we will die. I've lived among the Northerners for a year and a half now, and I know their ways. I am close friends with a member of the High Council, Mekail Nicholas, and he has informed that they will not call off this war. Please, please hear me out. We need to defend our own. We need not swing the first blow, but perhaps we can maintain some sense of tradition. They have provoked a war and this is the natural reaction, protection, not offense." Caldin was as desperate as a man could get, his words running together and his heart racing.

"Caldin, please, stop," Vaishvi begged, one hand on the table, one held out to slow the man. "We have already determined that defence is the only option. Please do not worry. We will protect our own."

Immediately, the tension drained out from the diplomat. He released a quiet breath and a small nod.

"Have you voted?" he asked.

"Yes," Naliny said, standing up. "We took an informal vote, and the only one against the decision was Tanirika because she feared for the younger generations misunderstanding our actions. However, I believe she has changed her vote."

Everyone's heads pivoted to look at the beautiful woman with features like a sculpture of old. She had her hands in her lap, clutching the fabric of her dress tightly.

"My sister was in that video played at your daughter's academy," she addressed to Caldin. "She had her throat slit and was left to die on the side of the road."

There were no tears in her eyes, but her back was as straight as it could possibly be. "So, I have voted to defend the South, to prevent this war from continuing. No more need to die without someone protecting them. I cast my vote without shame or fury." No one knew if it was a lie, but none of the members questioned her.

"I vote to prepare our defences," Caldin said in agreement.

"Agreed," was repeated across the room dutifully.

"Then so be it," Vaishvi murmured, folding her hands on the table. "And may the balance be in our favour."

* * *

><p>Epsilon stood before his soldiers, eyeing each one carefully. All made eye contact without hesitation. They knew better than to show weakness in front of their commanders. It was dangerous enough being under his control, and they dared not make their situations any worse.<p>

The general, Lady Speaker, stood behind him, watching in excitement as the soldiers saluted. This was something new, this excitement. Her last regeneration had been rather… boring, she realised. And this new regeneration may have been something she was not prepared for, it was different, but that was nice. It was quite a shock, though, waking up in the mornings, and remembering that she no longer was, in fact, a male.

"Are they ready?" she asked, straightening her collar as she walked up to her subordinate.

Epsilon nodded with a smile of his own. "Or they will be. Some of the fresh meat isn't quite used to it here, but they will be. Right?"

He looked out over the too-warm men and women before him, wondering how long he could keep them standing there. He wondered how many would pass out after an hour. After two. The thought made him almost giddy. He had a power than almost no one could rival.

"Then dismiss them, we need to plan," the Speaker ordered.

Reluctantly, Epsilon nodded.

"Dismissed!" he roared to his soldiers and watched as they scampered back to the shade of their tents and beds and back to water and comfort. He hated that they were so complacent.

"You really abhor them, don't you?" the Speaker asked, putting a hand on her hip and pursing her lips thoughtfully.

"They're lazy. Most aren't even real soldiers. They probably believe that they're going to gain glory or something else just as stupid. They should know better. All we do is kill and be killed."

"And yet you enjoy that," the general said, turning away and heading to her tent. In her new eyes, Epsilon was exactly the same as before—a stiff man with no regard for anyone else, and she enjoyed him because of that. It made him easier to understand and control. He would one day be a general, and until then, she was going to take advantage of having such a blood-thirsty man under her power.

When they reached her tent, she walked in and waited by her map. The city of Aasha sat far away, marked by a large "x." Around it was drawn a large circle where all trade would be cut off. No one would enter or leave the city, and the Speaker would make sure of that.

"They're soft," Epsilon explained as he made his way into the tent. "I suggest we send the new recruits on a run through this deserted wasteland, so they get a taste of what awaits them. No water. A few miles. Maybe a few hundred. Should teach them something."

"Or kill them. We need everyone we can get, Epsilon. A siege isn't a siege if the invaders give up. And the whole of the universe will hear if we fail on this front, and they will think us weak. Just because we don't have the ability to fly over their airspace doesn't mean we can't wipe them out."

"There will be new satellites we can place soon," Epsilon reminded.

"But the Southerners are smarter than you give them credit for," she said, turning on him. "And that will be your downfall. These people have been peaceful for thousands of years, but they were strict about how they preserved their half of the planet. They have cut down any satellite that entered their space, and we don't know where the lasers come from. We can't fly, or their satellites spot us and shoot us down. So we're forced to stick to the most archaic method of warfare the world has ever known, moving on foot. And that's the only reason you're here, Epsilon, because you specialise in the brutal and the inane. Do you care to argue?"

Epsilon put his hands behind his back and stood at attention. "Inane? You still need me as inane as my specialties are."

"Yes, you are the siege king," she admitted. "And I do respect you."

"And people say that men are strong. I think that in this regeneration, you're twice the handful," Epsilon said, knowing there would be no offence taken at his statement.

"Agreed. And I like it that way."

The Speaker pointed to her map once again. "Now, tell me, how easy do you think it will be to tear down their walls?"

"Difficult. They're supported with condensed atomic structure and energy shields. We can't just tear them down, even with explosions."

"So we'll just starve them out? Simple as that?"

"What do you know that I don't?" Epsilon asked, narrowing his eyes. He knew when his general was playing games with him. Sometimes he could tolerate them, but other times he hated them.

"Do you really think that the Southerners will never fight back? Do you really believe they will let their women and children be slaughtered like animals and just sit by, praying they stay in their precious 'balance?'"

"They have so far."

"So far does not imply eternity. I think that the Southerners are going to begin playing the game, and begin playing it dirty. They're closer to our roots than we are. It'll be simpler for them to revert to savages. When they change their tactics, our numbers are going to suffer, Epsilon. Don't you forget that."

_Next Chapter: The Tides_

_AN: From now on, this fic will be updated within the first week of each month. And thanks for hanging with me through almost half of one hundred chapters! I promise the 50th will be quite a... bang..._


	50. Chapter 50

_Year Six- Chapter 50- The Tides_

Theta watched as Koschei strode over to the nearest seat, the one directly in front of the inquisitors. There was no hesitation in the older boy's steps, and his air of confidence was infectious; even shy Theta was sure that he could speak to these imposing figures with ease. He sat next to Koschei, placing his hands in his own lap and nodding politely.

"Hello," Koschei said, leaning back in his chair. "Is this about the screens?"

Theta struggled not to give his compatriot a sideways glance. The question felt too pointed, too all-knowing. Instead, Theta kicked him under the table. The kick was then returned twice as hard by Koschei.

Promptly, the door opened behind them with the noise of straining wood, and Ushas walked in, her curly hair a bit of a mess, and her uniform askew. Koschei knew that it had been her free period, so she was probably messing with chemicals before-hand, wearing something far more comfortable than the high-collared, starched shirt and pleated skirt she was required to wear while attending classes. Koschei grinned just thinking of the look on her face when she was told she had to come. And she was probably also pissed about his response to her message, which implied that she would be the one to slip up. It was untrue, but he liked pestering Ushas when he could.

"What is this about?" Ushas asked, trying to force a smile to her face. Theta could see she was trying a different strategy than Koschei. She was trying to seem innocent, but he himself was unsure what part to play.

"Sit down, Lady Rani," one of the questioners demanded.

The girl, holding back her grumbling, sat on Koschei's left side and crossed her arms.

"Listen, I'm working with very sensitive chemicals that have to be checked every hour on the hour, and I would hope that you appreciate the dormitories not exploding."

"Ushas!" Theta hissed, glaring at her.

"Tell me," the man sitting across from Koschei started, "about what you were doing last night."

"This is about the screens." Ushas sounded aggravated. "Listen, I heard about that, and I'm sorry to tell you, but I don't care. I have nothing to do with all this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to check the-"

"Sit down, Imassa," a woman on the board demanded.

"Okay, let me lay this out for you," the girl began. She was standing, her hands against the back of the chair she had been sitting in. Her eyes were narrowed. "Answer me a question: what time was the system hacked?"

"I don't believe that information pertains-"

"It was after classes, right before the cafeteria closed, I'm assuming, and since people started pouring back into the dorm at around 1900, I'll say it happened around 1800. Sounds good. Now, I was in my room, since I have a project for Borusa I've been intending to finish—the project that involves me checking my chemicals hourly, which, due to my class schedule, I do at the start of every hour. Could I hack the school's projection system from my room? No. Also, I'm a chemist, not a tech specialist. I have no idea how to do much more than repair simple message boxes. You can ask Professor Ochua, I almost failed her wiring class in my third year. I would have no reason to do this. Not to mention that my roommate, my friend, was hurt by this. I wasn't part of this, but if you find out who was, let me know, because I'm going to give them a piece of my mind. What that person did was stupid—spreading information without helping synthesize it is one of the easiest ways to create misinformation." Ushas ended her speech and tilted her head to the side.

"Fetch Borusa," the man in front of Koschei ordered to the woman Ushas had been preaching to.

The Time-Lady got to her feet and walked out of the room. When she came back after a few moments, she brought in the Deca's teacher, whose expression was entirely unreadable.

"Borusa," the leader addressed, "do you have Ushas Imassa working on a project for you?"

"Yes. It requires a lot of her, but I knew that she was willing to sacrifice her little free-time to learn more. Is that the only reason you called me in, Lord Aspirer?"

"Yes. Please return to the library while we continue with the last of the examinations here."

Theta turned to Koschei, shocked. He assumed that they meant the last of the Deca to be questioned, and that meant that, had any one of them given up information, they could very well be walking into a trap. The younger boy's heart-rate began skyrocketing the moment her remembered Mortimus. He would not hesitate to give up Theta, since he hated the younger boy so much. Though he was not involved in the production of the film, that did not mean that he knew nothing about what occurred, and rooming with Rallon meant that he assuredly had a knowledge of who was involved with the hacking,

As Borusa left, Ushas sighed, and looked at the panel, her act never once failing her.

"You are free to go, Lady Rani," the Aspirer said.

Ushas nodded deeply. "Thank you," she said before turning around and walking out of the classroom, leaving just to the two boys there, apparently the last two members of the elite students to go.

While Theta was nearly shaking with nervousness, Koschei became more determined that they were safe, that their actions had been untraceable. They had let Ushas go, and if they had any information at all, any scrap of knowledge, they would have known that she was involved, that she was the cog which the Deca revolved around infallibly.

"Lord Aspirer," Koschei addressed, putting his hands on the table. If there was one thing he learned from his father, it was that he should strike the moment he sensed that he had the upper hand in this verbal battle. He would not be beaten; he would not be taken for a fool.

"I, like Ushas, have a specialty that has nothing to do with what happened here. Borusa may have told you that I've been studying politics for seven years now, and I can tell you that what this person did was a political disaster. It was unwise to expose oneself by trying to spread information in such an obvious way. The pro-"

"Do not fool around with us, boy," the Time-Lady said, her gaze chilling as she met Koschei's. "One of your fellow students has declared that the two of you committed the act."

"Who?" Koschei demanded, his cockiness vanishing in an instant, replaced with quaint nothingness. His face no longer held any emotion, and his blue eyes became unreadable.

"It does not matter. What does matter is that we plan to remove you from the Academy-"

"No," Theta said, shaking his head. "Please! No!"

"Theta," Koschei warned, trying to shut his roommate up. "Who told you that?" When there was no immediate response, Koschei straightened his back and made contact with the four adults in the room that sat on the other side of the table. Theta shook his head, trying to figure his own way out of the situation, only to look to the side in time to see Koschei's blue eyes become rimmed in gold as he delved into the minds of those questioning them.

"Who knows what you know?"

"The student before you told us," one woman stuttered, her expression slack.

"Koschei what are you doing?" Theta asked. He had never seen Koschei force information out of someone with his power before, and it frightened the boy.

"So you told no one after he left, and you called us in?"

"Lord Borusa knows," the Aspirer said.

"Now, tell me who said Theta and I hacked the projection system."

Koschei was standing now. A smirk stretched across his face. His fingers gripped the table in front of his so tightly that he could feel his bones groaning under the strain. He felt his nose run. He wiped away at it with the back of his hand, barely noticing the red out of the corner of his eyes as he put the hand down.

"Koschei," Theta said, placing a tentative hand onto the older boy's shoulder. Though the older boy didn't seem to realise that his nose was pouring blood, the younger was greatly disturbed.

The politician's son, ever aloof, barely noticed his stomach heaving as he tried to maintain his hold over the four adults, each with their own considerable willpower. He knew that he was running out of time to save Theta, but he also didn't want to relinquish his hold. There was such power in his position. He could do whatever he wanted. He could turn the people before him into babbling children. He could erase every memory they ever had. He could—

"Koschei!"

He could make them go and kill Theta's father. He could make them into his own personal slaves. He could have them kill themselves. He could kill them himself.

"Koschei Mekail!"

"You will declare that no one in the Deca committed the crime," Koschei said, tasting blood in his mouth which signalled him reaching the limits of his control.

After that, his eyes returned to normal, and he got to his feet.

"Come on, Theta, they'll come back to their senses on their own in a few minutes."

The boy rose up as well, too shocked to argue, and followed numbly as Koschei walked to the door. Theta stopped him as he reached for the handle and turned his friend around. Silently, he used his sleeve to wipe away the blood on Koschei's face as best as he could. Koschei nodded his thanks and walked out into the library, his thoughts obviously not on the present.

"Boys," Borusa addressed, walking up. "What did they tell you?"

"They told me that the person before us ratted me out. Who was before us?"

"I wasn't here then," their teacher said honestly. "I have no idea. Why did they let you out? Are you going to pack your things?"

"No. I gave them a convincing argument. You can have your classroom back."

Koschei stomach heaved again, and he bit back a gag. He was not going to become a slave to his body. He could control himself. He balled his hands into fists and walked out of the building, hardly noticing that Theta was trying to eke a comment from him.

Though there was a class that Koschei was supposed to be at, he did not remember where it was, nor did he remember which class it even was; he was trying to keep his body in check and keep his anger caged until he got to his room. On the way to the dormitories, Theta scampered behind his friend, trying not to look remarkably suspicious.

When the two entered their shared room, Theta braced for the outpour that was going to fill the silence.

The door shut, and Koschei was already programming a message box.

"I'm going to kill 'em. I'm going to find out and-"

"Koschei, you need to calm down."

"Gonna rip them limb from limb. They're going to regret ever crossing you."

"Koschei, your nose is bleeding again."

Koschei flung his message box out the window and slammed it shut. He turned back to his roommate, fury in his eyes. But suddenly, the look dissipated as the boy gagged. He crouched down and grabbed a trash bin just in time to start vomiting blood into the basket.

Theta hurried over and tried to keep Koschei's hair out of his eyes, which were watering now.

"You pushed it too far," Theta whispered.

"I didn't find out who it was," Koschei manage to croak out raggedly.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard. Your body can't take it."

Koschei was going to respond with a barbed comment, but he was shut up as the next wave of blood came rushing up his throat.

_Next chapter: The Tides: Waxing_

_AN: So sorry that I did not update all summer. So many odd things occurred, and I didn't succeed in achieving all the things I originally planned. And to elaborate as well, I plan to update once a month now, and hopefully it will be rather regular yet again. So sorry about the delays! ~Shara_


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